The
New York Yankees used a fifth-inning power surge to down the Kansas City Royals 4-1 on Monday night in their first matchup since the 2024 AL Division Series.
Trent Grisham, Ben Rice, and Austin Wells each launched solo home runs off Royals starter Seth Lugo, breaking a 1-1 tie and putting New York ahead for good. The trio of left-handed hitters showcased their power by homering on a mix of Lugo’s changeup, cutter, and fastballs.
Carlos Carrasco (2-1) allowed just one hit and one run over five solid innings. He combined with relievers Fernando Cruz, Tim Hill, Luke Weaver, and Devin Williams to limit Kansas City to just two hits. Williams earned his second save, escaping a ninth-inning jam by retiring Maikel Garcia on a game-ending flyout.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. tied the game in the fourth inning with his sixth home run of the season, shortly after Bobby Witt Jr. gave the Royals a brief lead with a 10-pitch at-bat homer off Carrasco.
Lugo (1-2) was charged with the loss after surrendering four solo shots over 6 2/3 innings. Despite mixing nine different pitches, he allowed seven hits total. He had not allowed more than two home runs in a game since 2020.
New York (9-7) snapped a recent skid, having dropped five of their previous seven. Kansas City (8-9), meanwhile, debuted their powder blue alternate uniforms in the loss.
Key Moment: Grisham’s fourth homer of the season kicked off the Yankees' fifth-inning outburst — he didn’t hit his fourth home run last year until late June.
Key Stat: All four Yankees home runs came from left-handed bats.
Next Game
Yankees LHP Max Fried (2-0, 1.56 ERA) faces Royals RHP Michael Wacha (0-2, 4.20 ERA) on Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium.
