KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- After 12 meetings this season, the Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays are as familiar with each other's approaches, tendencies, strengths and weaknesses as they're ever going to be.

With one or possibly two games remaining in the American League Championship Series, it basically comes down to the Royals' killer instinct vs. the Blue Jays instinct for survival.

After Kansas City won the first two games of the series at Kauffman Stadium, the teams headed north to Toronto and both achieved their objective, in a manner of speaking. The Royals maintained home-field advantage with a 14-2 obliteration of R.A. Dickey and the Toronto bullpen in Game 4, and the Blue Jays sandwiched that sorry performance with a pair of wins to bring the series back to the heartland.

So now it comes down to this: David Price, the most decorated starting pitcher in this series, will try to pull Toronto even Friday night and record his first career postseason win as a starter. The Blue Jays hope he resembles the David Price who mesmerized Kansas City in the midafternoon shadows with six shutout innings in Game 2 -- and not the guy who went downhill fast after an outfield miscommunication between Ryan Goins and Jose Bautista helped turn a 3-0 Toronto lead into a 6-3 Kansas City victory.

Price will be opposed by the always-tantalizing Yordano Ventura, whose upper-90s fastball and wipeout curve have translated into some inconsistent performances in October. Ventura is 1-1 with a 4.30 ERA in eight postseason appearances.

A touch of intrigue crept into Thursday's off-day when Price, who is rarely hesitant to share his thoughts via social media, took issue with the public perception that he's displeased over the way Toronto manager John Gibbons has used him in the postseason. Price tried to set the record straight with the following observation on Twitter:

Haha media is funny..never said I was mad or upset about anything that's gone on in the playoffs!! And stop twisting my words around..cheers - David Price (@DAVIDprice14) October 22, 2015

Nevertheless, it's been an interesting ride. The first unorthodox moment came in Game 4 of the Division Series, when Gibbons pulled Dickey after 4⅔ innings and used Price for three innings of relief even though the Jays were sitting on a six-run lead. Price's extended relief appearance ensured that he would be a spectator while Marcus Stroman started the ALDS clincher against Texas.

Price also made an unexpected cameo during Toronto's 7-1 victory in Game 5 on Wednesday, warming up in the bullpen with the possibility of facing Eric Hosmer in crunch time until Jays starter Marco Estrada rendered that scenario moot.

Gibbons isn't exactly stocked with left-handed options out of the pen. Brett Cecil, Toronto's most reliable lefty reliever, is out with a torn calf muscle, and Aaron Loup has been unavailable while tending to a family matter (though he's expected back for Game 6). In the spirit of volunteerism, Price made himself available to pitch out of the pen, and Gibbons took him up on the offer as a potential weapon against Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Alex Gordon in the late innings.

"We didn't have to sell it to him one bit,'' Gibbons said. "Actually, he came and said, 'I can pitch out of the pen today.' It wasn't like we were holding a gun to his head.

"With the circumstances -- do-or-die games -- he was available. Dave's the ultimate team guy. He's here to win. That's what drives him. As good as he is, that's his focus.''

Does another celebration await David Price and the Blue Jays? Stay tuned. Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Even as the ultimate team guy, Price freely acknowledges the stigma that he lugs around because of his statistical shortcomings in October. With a 2-7 record and a 5.24 ERA in the postseason, he's afflicted with a severe case of Clayton Kershaw-itis.

"I guess this is the time that counts,'' Price said. "What I did in the regular season doesn't matter. Everybody is going to say whatever they want to say and write what they want to write. And I completely get that, but I know good things are going to happen.''

A little offensive support would help Price succeed in his quest. In the first two games of the series in Kansas City, the Blue Jays hit .197 (13-for-66) with three runs scored and no homers. During the Toronto leg, they batted .268 (26-for-97) with 20 runs scored and four homers.

The Royals have already walked No. 3 hitter Jose Bautista seven times in the series and shown they're more inclined to take their chances with cleanup man Edwin Encarnacion, who is playing with a finger injury and is hitting .211 (4-for-19) with no extra-base hits in the ALCS. The Jays are fortunate that Troy Tulowitzki (7-for-19, .368) has awakened at just the right time.

Ultimately, the Blue Jays acquired Price from Detroit at the trade deadline in July for this very moment. If Price wants to make a statement that he's worth the $200 million-plus contract that he's angling for in free agency this winter, there's no more declarative way to do it than beating the Royals to extend a six-game series to seven.

For what it's worth, Price certainly sounds like a pitcher who's brimming with confidence and intent on crafting a fresh narrative.

"I know what I'm capable of doing,'' he said. "I think everybody in this room knows what I'm capable of doing. I think I just kind of want to do it too bad.

"It's been long overdue for me to get a win as a starter in the playoffs. I'll be ready to change that story tomorrow."