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Series Recap
·6 min read

Series Recap: Yankees HAPPily flush away Royals

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In taking three of four games from the Kansas City Royals, the New York Yankees equaled their high-water mark of the season at 30-games over .500. While ideally, one would like to sweep a team at home with the record of the Royals but considering it was a four-game series, with a doubleheader thrown in for good measure, the Yankees didn’t lose any ground on the front-running Boston Red Sox.

GAME 1

It’s hard to believe but one might call this the worst 7-2 victory of the year. An injury to Aaron Judge put a huge damper on what was a laugher win for the Yankees against the Royals.

THE BONE CHIP HEARD ‘ROUND THE WORLD

During the first frame, Judge, who entered the game hitting .520 at Yankee Stadium in July, suffered a chip fracture of the right wrist, following a hit by pitch from Jakob Junis. The All-Star outfielder is slated to miss a minimum of three weeks but will not require surgery.

Later in the inning, Judge would score on a Giancarlo Stanton sacrifice fly RBI to right.

The pinstripes would double their lead to 2-0 after Gleyber Torres reached first on a fielding error by shortstop Adalberto Mondesi, enabling Didi Gregorius to score from third base.

CRUSHING CROWNS

New York was back for more in the fourth, including some shortstop on shortstop crime, with the Yankees making the Royals pay for their miscue.

Neil Walker started the offense with a one-out single, which deflected off Junis to Mondesi. Ensuing batter Austin Romine boomed an RBI-double to center, plating Walker.

With two down, Miguel Andujar, pinch-hitting for Judge, reached on a throwing error by Mondesi.

Following was Gregorius, who doubled in the first and made the Royals pay with a three-run laser home run to right. Gregorius’ 18th home run increased the New York advantage to 6-0.

SONNY STELLAR

Sonny Gray was spinning a gem and probably would’ve gone longer if he’d not gotten hit on his pitching hand after trying to field a comebacker in the fifth inning. Gray fanned five across five scoreless frames, yielding three hits and two walks. Gray pitched into and out of a bases-loaded jam in the third. He’s aced the Royals this season but any kind of confident outing for Gray at Yankee Stadium is a huge positive.

GREAT BRITTON

Zach Britton made his pinstripe debut during the eighth inning. Britton had his sinker working and tossed a clean frame, getting Mike Moustakas to ground out to third base, Salvador Perez to strike out and Lucas Duda to ground out to first base. It was the perfect low leverage situation for Britton to get his feet wet in the Bronx.

HICKS FROM THE STICKS

In the ninth, Aaron Hicks dared the Royals to run and nailed Alex Gordon at home to end the game.

GAME 2

In what was an odd first game of their doubleheader, the Yankees couldn’t quite get things to click when needed. A lack of a big base hit early, base running blunders, bad pitch selection or a crucial out late to hold the game didn’t help, as they were doubled up by the Royals 10-5.

WADING AROUND TO SCORE

After Austin Romine was hit by a Brad Keller pitch to load the bases with zero outs, it’s almost like time froze. Tyler Wade certainly froze after nubbing a pitch in front of home plate and not inexplicably not running. As a result, Salvador Perez stepped on home plate and tagged out Wade for the unassisted double play. Ensuing batter Shane Robinson would fly out to end the threat with zero runs scored.

SEVY STUNG

Is he tipping pitches? Does he have a dead arm? Regardless of the reason, Luis Severino was getting stung hard by the Royals’ bats. When his final ledger was tabulated, Severino yielded six runs on eight hits and one walk, lasting only 4.1 innings.

GIANCARLO HITS ONE TO FARGO

During the fifth, Giancarlo Stanton absolutely destroyed a full count fastball from Keller. The two-run blast to straightaway center got the Bronx Bombers on the board.

SIXTH INNING STRIKE BACK

Following a single to left by Gleyber Torres and a bunt against the shift by Greg Bird, Neil Walker turned into Wade Boggs. Walker lined a sharp RBI-single to left. After Austin Romine grounded into a double play, the Yankees were within two.

ROOKIE MISTAKE

During the seventh, Torres, for all of his greatness, showed why he’s still a rookie. After Gregorius led off the frame with a single to center, Torres drove a run-scoring double to right, pulling the Yankees within one. Yet, on the same play, Torres made the cardinal sin of making the first out at third base while trying to stretch a triple. Torres is always hustling and aggressive, which you have to love but the Yankees probably tie the game if he stays put at second base.

ROBERTSON ROCKED

Coming nearly all of the way back, David Robertson was rocked on a three-run jolt to right by Brian Goodwin. The home run took the wind out of the sails of the Yankees and made it a 9-5 Royals advantage.

A Lucas Duda sacrifice fly in the ninth inning against Chasen Shreve, capped off the scoring at 10-5.

GAME 3

In the seesaw nightcap, the Yankees persevered and held on for a 5-4 victory.

ANDU CAN DO

It was a quick start for the Yankees against Heath Fillmyer in the first inning. Gardner and Stanton connected on consecutive singles. Gregorius moved both runners up a bag with a fly out to center. Ensuing batter Miguel Andujar singled up the middle, posting the pinstripes to a 1-0 advantage. After Bird took one for the team off the knee, Walker doubled the New York lead, lifting a sacrifice fly to right.

SAL SLUGS

Salvador Perez continued his tear against the Yankees, raking a solo home run to center off CC Sabathia in the third.

COO-COO-CA-CHOO SHANE ROBINSON

With two down in the fourth, Shane Robinson launched a solo shot to left, increasing the New York lead back to two.

SABATHIA AND BULLPEN STUMBLE

During the fifth, Sabathia took a tumble, on a Rosell Herrera grounder, leaving a big divot as his knee hit the grass. After walking in a run, Sabathia was done with 4.1 frames under his belt.

After Jonathan Holder held the Royals at 3-2 in the fifth, he and Chad Green couldn’t hold it down in the sixth. With two down, Holder issued a walk to Whit Merrifield to load the bases. Green would come on and yield a game-tying single to Herrera.

In the seventh, Zach Britton experienced his own bout of wildness. After recording a pair of quick outs, Britton allowed a double to right by Hunter Dozier. Goodwin would follow with an infield single to third. Britton would then issue two consecutive walks, giving Kansas City a 4-3 lead.

THUNDER AND LIGHTNING

In the eighth, Bird dropped down and drilled a 1-0 fastball from Brian Flynn over the fence, squaring the contest at four.

Walker followed by lining a double to right.

After a pitching change, Romine reached on a hustle bunt single off Glenn Sparkman.

Following a Torres walk to load the bases, Aaron Hicks lofted a go-ahead sacrifice fly RBI to left.

GAME 4

Equipped with a new weapon in J.A. Happ, the Yankees received a boost in length in their rotation and helped propel them to a 6-3 victory.

HICKS OFF THE STICK

Facing Burch Smith with the two down in the first, Hicks launched a two-run tater off the foul pole in right, staking the Bronx Bombers to a 2-0 advantage.

OFFENSE ADDS ON

In the fourth inning, Hicks got the New York offense revved up again with a leadoff double to right.

With two down, Andujar singled up the box, plating Hicks.

During the fifth, Gardner and Stanton recorded consecutive singles and moved into scoring position on a groundout by Gregorius. After Hicks walked, Gardner scored on a fielder’s choice by Torres. Beating out the shift, Bird drove home a run on an infield single to second base.

A sacrifice fly by Stanton capped off the Yankees scoring in the sixth.

HAPPY, HAPPY, JOY, JOY

Happ joined Masahiro Tanaka as the only other Yankees’ pitcher to record a six-inning outing after the All-Star break. Through the first five frames, Happ held the Royals to one hit. A home run by Perez in the sixth was the only blip on the radar on the afternoon for Happ, who struck out two, allowing one run on three hits and one walk.

ON DECK

At 67-37, the Yankees will take Monday off and host the Baltimore Orioles for a two-game set starting Tuesday.

Pitching probables, Yefry Ramirez vs. Masahiro Tanaka, Alex Cobb vs. Sonny Gray.