Kansas City Royals even ALDS vs. Yankees. They kept the line moving (sound familiar?)
The Kansas City Royals were knocked down in Game 1 of the American League Division Series by the New York Yankees.
On Monday, the Royals responded in their own way. Led by team captain Salvador Perez, the Royals picked up a 4-2 victory at Yankee Stadium.
And evened the ALDS up at one game apiece with a keep-the-line-moving approach.
“Our goal was to win them both, but to get out of here after losing the first one with a win today is huge,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said.
In the fourth inning, Perez crushed a 402-foot solo home run off Yankees left-handed starter Carlos Rodon. Perez, who entered with a .462 batting average against Rodon, crushed a 90.3-mph slider.
The Royals star deposited the baseball over the left-field wall for his sixth career postseason home run. Perez oozed with confidence as he circled the bases. In turn, the home run created offensive momentum for the Royals.
“Every time I do something to help my team to win, it feels amazing,” Perez said. “We tie the game, we’re in position and just get excited a little bit too much.”
The club added three additional runs in the inning. Royals trio Tommy Pham, Garrett Hampson and Maikel Garcia each recorded RBI singles.
Rodon lasted 3 ⅔ innings. He allowed seven hits, four runs and struck out seven batters. After striking out the side in the first inning, Rodon allowed a baserunner in every remaining frame of his start.
The Royals trailed early. Yankees star Giancarlo Stanton hit an RBI single that bounced off shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.’s glove. Gleyber Torres, who began the third inning with a walk, came around to score.
The run was charged to Royals starter Cole Ragans. The All-Star southpaw tossed four innings in his second postseason outing. Ragans wasn’t nearly as efficient against the Yankees as he issued four walks.
“Yeah, I mean, control was a little erratic,” Ragans said. “Felt like I made pitches when I had to make a pitch.”
However, Ragans got big outs in key situations. In the four inning, he produced a shutdown inning as the Royals maintained a three-run lead.
KC turned it over to the bullpen from there. Royals manager Matt Quatraro went back to Angel Zerpa, who struggled in Game 1. The decision worked as Zerpa worked a scoreless inning in relief.
The Royals trotted out relievers John Schreiber, Kris Bubic and closer Lucas Erecg to protect the lead. Erecg allowed a solo home run to Jazz Chisholm but recorded his third postseason save.
“The bullpen, they’re doing what they’ve been doing for the past two months,” Ragans said. “They’re incredible, just shut it down. Like I said, they’re incredible.”
Missed previous games of the series?
Game 1: Royals fall just short in 6-5 loss to Yankees in ALDS opener
El Capitan: Salvador Perez bests Carlos Rodon with sixth career postseason homer
Here are more notables from Monday’s game:
Royals keep the line moving
The Royals found an early rhythm in Monday’s game. The much-maligned offense had struggled in recent weeks to score consistently.
However, KC strung together some timely hits against the Yankees. The Royals got a lot of production from the bottom of the order. Hampson recorded two hits, including his third RBI in the series.
Pham took advantage of an 88.2-mph slider left in the strike zone. Later in the game, pinch-hitter Kyle Isbel added a single to flip the lineup over.
“We got performances from multiple people tonight that you’re hoping come up big. Hampson had good at-bats, we already talked about Maikel,” Quatraro said. “Tommy’s bat, Salvy’s homer. It doesn’t have to be from the same guys all the time. That’s what makes a great team, that you’re not relying on one or two people.”
The offensive production throughout the lineup was key to the victory. The Royals had seven players with at least one hit.
Garcia finished 4-for-5 with an RBI in the leadoff spot.
Yankees stars held in check
The Royals limited Yankees stars Aaron Judge and Juan Soto on Monday night. The All-Star duo finished a combined 1-for-6 with two walks and three strikeouts.
In the first inning, Judge struck out with a runner in scoring position. Soto struck out in consecutive at-bats in the third and fifth innings respectively.
As a team, the Yankees were 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position. The club also left seven men on base.
Next on the KC Royals playoff schedule:
The Royals return home to Kauffman Stadium on Wednesday. It will be their first postseason game since 2015 at the iconic venue.
Game 3 of the ALDS is notoriously the swing matchup. It will be no different on Wednesday with the series tied at 1.
The Royals haven’t announced a Game 3 starter, but it is expected Seth Lugo will get the ball Wednesday. The Yankees will start veteran right-hander Clarke Schmidt, who has a 2.85 ERA in 16 starts this season.
This story was originally published October 7, 2024 at 9:51 PM.
