TYING it in the ninth inning, Kansas City scored five times in the 12th to beat the New York Mets 7-2 early yesterday for their first Major League Baseball World Series title since 1985.

    Down 2-0 in the ninth, Kansas City fought back in Game 5 against two of the top arms on the pitching-rich Mets: Matt Harvey and Jeurys Familia. And the Royals did it not with home run power but instead a daring dash from Eric Hosmer, a three-run double by Lorenzo Cain, a couple of crucial stolen bases.

    “I couldn’t have written a better script,” manager Ned Yost said.

    That’s how Series MVP Salvador Perez and the Royals became the first team since the 2002 Angels to come from behind in all four World Series wins, according to STATS.

    That’s how they washed away the bitter taste of last year’s Game 7 loss at home to San Francisco, an October heartbreak that drove the Royals to their singular focus all season.

    “Kansas City is No. 1. Who cares about what happened last year?” Perez said.

    Now, this group of homegrown favorites who turned around a floundering franchise, Mike Moustakas and Alex Gordon and Hosmer to name a few, take their place in Royals history alongside George Brett, Willie Wilson, Bret Saberhagen and those champs from 30 years ago.

    They couldn’t have done it without major contributions from newcomers like Ben Zobrist, Johnny Cueto, Kendrys Morales, Chris Young and Alex Rios. Next up, a parade to celebrate the club’s second title in Kansas City tonight.

    With no margin for error, Harvey put the Mets’ last hope in his hands and hung on as long as he could. After eight scoreless innings, he pushed to pitch the ninth and finally faltered.

    “Obviously, I let my heart get in the way of my gut. I love my players. And I trust them,” manager Terry Collins said. “It didn’t work. It was my fault.”

    New York slugger Yoenis Cespedes exited with knee pain but Curtis Granderson hit a leadoff homer, his third long ball of the Series, and the Mets managed a 2-0 lead against heavy-hearted Royals starter Edinson Volquez, pitching one day after returning from his father’s funeral.

    But for these resilient Royals, no deficit is too large, no time in the game too late.

    “We never quit. We never put our heads down,” Perez said. “We always compete to the last out.”

    Perez looped a leadoff single in the 12th off losing pitcher Addison Reed, and pinch-runner Jarrod Dyson stole second. One out later, Christian Colon stepped in as a pinch-hitter for his first plate appearance since the regular-season finale Oct. 4.

    Hardly rusty, he lined a 1-2 pitch into left-center and pounded his chest at first base.

    “He’s a winner,” Yost said.

    Alcides Escobar added an RBI double, and Cain’s bases-loaded double off 42-year-old Bartolo Colon broke it open.

    All that was left was for Wade Davis to close it out. He threw a called third strike past Wilmer Flores to end it and tossed his glove high in the air as the Royals rushed toward the mound to celebrate.

    (SD-Agencies)