KANSAS CITY -- Royals right-hander Chris Young was asked by the coaching staff prior to Tuesday's 2-0 loss to the Mets whether he preferred to receive his World Series championship ring first during pregame ceremonies.
The logic would be so that Young could then get back to his own pregame routine as that day's starting pitcher.
• Ring ceremony culmination of Royals' crown
But Young, known as one of the toughest competitors on the Royals, turned down the invite.
"To me the focus is to go out and give the team a chance to win," Young said after the game, dominated by Mets starter Noah Syndergaard. "Certainly, it's a great day for the organization and the fans and the players and coaches, but ultimately, I have a responsibility to my team. I didn't want any distractions."

So Young continued on with his pregame routine as his coaches and teammates got their rings.
"It shows you the type of person he is," manager Ned Yost said of Young. "His reply to us was, 'I'm coming to the park to win a ballgame. I'll get my ring afterward.' That's how competitive he is. It makes him special.

"We took a minute after the game to get him his ring."
Young certainly pitched well enough to win, going five innings and giving up just three hits and two runs while walking three and striking out four.
Young's lone mistake was giving up a two-run homer to Neil Walker.

"I was trying to throw a fastball away to him," Young said. "I was behind in the count, 1-0, and tried to throw it away. I pulled it a little and he put a good swing on it, and it was the difference in the game."
Yost, though, was more than pleased with Young's outing.
"He found a way to get through each inning," Yost said. "That's his competitive nature. He got in some trouble but got out of it. I thought he threw really well."
Young agreed, to a point.
"It was good," Young said. "I did some things really well but wasn't overly pleased with my walks. I lost my tempo a little there. Overall, I felt pretty good and made some really good pitches, but I got outpitched today."