Lorenzo Cain scored from first base on Eric Hosmer’s eighth-inning single on Friday to lift the Kansas City Royals to a 4-3 win over Toronto and back into baseball’s World Series.

The Royals, who lost to the San Francisco Giants in seven games in Major League Baseball’s championship showcase last season, wrapped up a 4-2 triumph over the Blue Jays in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series and will play the New York Mets for the 2015 crown, hosting game one on Tuesday.

From the first day of spring training, we expected to be here,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.

Feeling pretty good,” added shortstop Alcides Escobar, who was named Most Valuable Player of the ALCS after setting a post-season record by getting a leadoff hit in each of the first four games.

“We’re going back to the World Series — it couldn’t be any better than this,” added Cain, who scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth, racing home on the instructions of third base coach Mike Jirschele after the throw from Blue Jays rightfielder Jose Bautista went to second base.

I didn’t know what happened, but I just kept going,” said Cain, who beat the relay throw from Toronto shortstop Troy Tulowitzki at the plate.

Yost said Hosmer’s aggressive base running on the play helped score the run.

Hosmer said the single ranks “right up there” with the biggest hits of his career.

“It got us the run to send us to the World Series,” Hosmer said. “The story just keeps getting better and better. I can’t wait to be fighting on the big stage with these guys in a couple of days.”

One win away from advancing, the Royals pounced on the Blue Jays early with solo home runs from Ben Zobrist in the first inning and Mike Moustakas in the second.

Moustakas’ homer came with some controversy. He smacked a 1-2 pitch from Blue Jays starter David Price over the fence in right field, but there was some question whether the fan who caught it interfered with the play by reaching over the fence to grab the ball.

A replay review lasted almost two minutes before officials said the video was inconclusive and the home run stood.

Alex Rios made it 3-1 Kansas City with a run-scoring single in the seventh.

But Toronto, who fended off elimination with a game-five win, tied the game at 3-3 in the eighth on Bautista’s second home run of the contest.

With Ben Revere on base, Bautista, who hit 40 home runs in the regular season, belted a Ryan Madson fastball into the left field seats.

The Royals sent Wade Davis to the mound to get the final two outs of the frame, and after a 45-minute rain delay the Royals returned to the field and got the run they needed.

– Jays threaten in ninth –

Things got tense for the Royals when Davis returned to the mound for the top of the ninth — despite waiting through the rain delay.

He allowed a leadoff single to Russell Martin, who was replaced by pinch runner Dalton Pompey who promptly stole second and third base with none out.

Davis then walked Kevin Pillar, who stole second, but Davis struck out Dioner Navarro and Revere before inducing Josh Donaldson to ground out to end the game.

It got pretty bad there pretty quick,” Davis said. “I just kept telling myself ‘We can get out of it. Keep making pitches.'”

Yost admitted that he’d hoped to avoid bringing Davis into the game until after the expected rain delay, and he was worried the pitcher would stiffen up while they waited out the weather.

You get to 45 minutes and it gets a little nerve-racking,” he said.

Once Davis was back on the mound, however, Yost said he had plenty of confidence in him — even with a runner on third and no one out.

In the end, the Royals went 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position.

It’s not always what you don’t do,” said Blue Jays manager John Gibbons. “Sometimes it’s what the other guys are doing. They held us in check.”