There is a realistic scenario in which this Yankees-Royals series could be replayed in early October.
The clearest path would be for the Orioles to overtake the Yankees in the AL East while the Royals fail to overtake the Guardians, forcing the teams to meet in a fourth-vs. fifth-place wild-card series.
Or maybe the Yankees and Royals will face off in the divisional round in a few days.
Either way, it won't be a problem for Seth Lugo, who prefers pitching in the Bronx, and it will be a problem for a Yankees offense that was as quiet as a library on Tuesday.
The former Mets relief pitcher turned All-Star Royals starter pitched seven scoreless, three-hit innings in Kansas City's 5-0 win over the Yankees.
The 34-year-old got off to a great start to his best season, throwing 10 different pitches and silencing a shy Yankees batter, only allowing three singles.
“I was looking at a lot of pitches,” said Lugo, who pitched seven scoreless innings without a walk for the first time in his pro career. “I don't think there was any pitch I couldn't throw where I wanted to throw it.”
For the majority of his seven years in Queens, Lugo was a capable relief pitcher, and his extensive pitching skills were effective in his one- and two-inning appearances with the Mets.
He always believed he could be a starter, and he proved that by pitching well in 26 games for the Padres after becoming a free agent for the first time last year, and he solidified that this season, becoming a potential Cy Young Award candidate.
Lugo is currently the best starting pitcher on a Royals team that will face the Orioles in the wild-card round.
If Baltimore overtakes the Yankees and the Royals remain the fifth seed, there will be a three-game series between the Yankees and Royals, and Lugo is aware of that.
The right-hander said that although he likes the Bronx, he's ready to take on any opponent.
“The atmosphere is great. It's a great mound. The dirt is great,” said Lugo, who has a 2.55 ERA in 35 1/3 career innings against the Yankees and a 2.70 ERA at the stadium. “There's a lot of energy. It's always fun.”
For him, it's more fun to let that energy dissipate. Gleyber Torres singled in the top of the first inning for the Yankees, then singled again with two outs in the sixth.
During those at-bats, Lugo retired 17 consecutive Yankees batters.
He struck out 10 batters while using one of the most versatile pitch repertoires in baseball. Statcast credited him with throwing nine different pitches, “mixed in slurves and sweepers at times,” Lugo said.
The Yankees announced a lineup that will feature Jason Dominguez in what could be their strongest No. 1-9 position if the lineup plays out well.
Lugo said he was “never comfortable” against the Yankees' lineup, and it certainly looked that way.
If the two teams were to meet in a few weeks, the Yankees, who allowed four runs in the seventh inning against Lugo on June 10, will likely be forced to make some adjustments.
“The playoffs are a different story,” Torres said. [Lugo] Again, we certainly have to do things differently.”
