Kansas City, MO

The Yankees often seem to score effortlessly, especially when Aaron Judge is in the lineup. However, Thursday night was a bit different. Even though Judge was present at the start, the team struggled initially. They managed to scrape by with a chaotic run at the top of the eighth, securing a 1-0 win against the Royals.

A strong performance from Will Warren set the stage for a solid bullpen effort, which allowed them to head to Boston with a three-game sweep as a backdrop to their ALDS clash.

The decisive moment came courtesy of Pablo Reyes, who hit a single off Royals’ reliever Lucas Elseg. Judge had substituted earlier with Oswald Peraza, but it was Reyes who made the crucial play. There was a walk from Ben Rice, laying the groundwork for Paul Goldschmidt, who made solid contact, hitting a line drive that found its way past Vinny Pascantino.

Although Elseg was quick to cover first, his throw was late as Goldschmidt was running hard. Reyes then found himself in a bit of a pickle as he initially headed home but stumbled, having to retreat to third. Yet, with a burst of determination, he took off again and managed to score just ahead of the tag.

When all was said and done, Reyes lay flat on his back next to home plate, catching his breath while the Yankees took a 1-0 lead.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Loáisiga was sharp in the eighth, recording three groundouts, while Devin Williams closed it out with a clean performance for his ninth save. Following this win, the Yankees were set to meet the Red Sox at Fenway Park, especially after facing a tough weekend against them in the Bronx.

Prior to Reyes’ run, he also made an impressive defensive play at the bottom of the seventh, which proved crucial in keeping the game scoreless. After Anthony Volpe’s great play at short, Jac Caglianone hit a ground ball that Reyes swiftly backhanded to get Goldschmidt out.

This defensive effort was important, as the next two batters managed to reach base before Mark Reiter Jr. secured the final out of the inning.

Warren and Seth Lugo exchanged scoreless innings for five, with neither team really threatening. The Royals had a moment where they seemed poised to break the tie in the fifth with Nick Loftin’s triple. However, Warren didn’t buckle, forcing Fermin and Isbel into groundouts to wrap up that inning without a score.