Here comes the…shade.
“Don't celebrate too early,” Kansas City leadoff man Michael Garcia said. I wrote to X Monday night, hours after his Royals defeated the Yankees in Game 2 of the ALDS.
The celebration in question belonged to Carlos Rodon, the Yankees' $162 million man and starting pitcher Monday night.
Rodon came out of the gate excited, to say the least. In the top of the first inning, he struck out Garcia, Bobby Witt Jr., and Vinny Pasquantino on 12 pitches.
With each consecutive strikeout, the celebratory atmosphere became even more intense. He jumped a little on the mound, shook his head and said, “Did you see that?'' and there were many voices that sounded like screams throughout the Bronx. The crowd drowned out most of it.
By the end of the match, there was little left to celebrate.
The Royals went after Rodon in the fourth inning.
After being hit with a leadoff home run by Salvador Perez in the fourth inning, the Yankees' starting pitcher allowed three singles and two more runs.
Follow The Post's coverage of the Yankees in the postseason:
Ian Hamilton came on as a reliever and faced Garcia with one on and two outs. Royal pounced on the first pitch he saw and smashed a slider into the right field seats for Kansas City's fourth and final RBI of the night.
Garcia finished the game with 4 hits in 5 at bats, 1 RBI, and 1 stolen base.
Rodon's performance was less flattering, pitching 3 2/3 innings, allowing seven hits and four earned runs.
The Royals held the Yankees to seven hits and two runs. Angel Zerpa, who came on as a reliever in the bottom of the fifth inning, won the game.
With the series now decided, both teams will meet in a crucial Game 3 on Wednesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:08 p.m.
