Yankees Bounce Back with Dominant Win Against Royals
The Yankees head into the weekend without a win in their last three series. Their offense really struggled during the series with the Athletics but found a quick fix after sweeping the Rays. However, in their split against the Angels, their pitching — particularly the bullpen — was a significant liability.
Then the Royals came to town, and it seemed like the Yankees were ready to face them.
In a commanding 7-0 victory on Sunday, the Yankees managed to defeat the American League’s struggling team, showing a more cohesive performance in front of a Bronx crowd of 40,198. Following a two-hour and 45-minute weather delay, spectators were expecting complimentary drinks.
With a 5-2 record from their recent homestand, the Yankees (13-9) transformed their earlier misfortunes against the Angels into fireworks, finishing with nine home runs in the series against the Royals (7-15).
Aaron Judge, Ben Rice, and Trent Grisham provided reliable support for starting pitcher Ryan Weathers, who delivered 7⅓ scoreless innings. This win is a promising lead-in to their upcoming nine-game road trip, facing teams in Boston, Houston, and Texas. The overall score from the three-game series between New York and Kansas City demonstrated a remarkably high tally: 24-7.
Not long ago, the Yankees were grappling with their performance against left-handed pitchers, who had the second-worst OPS in the majors (.535) leading into the weekend. After facing off against Noah Cameron on Saturday and Cole Ragans on Sunday, that average took a hit; those pitchers collectively gave up 14 runs over 8⅓ innings.
Another concern was Boone’s strategy of using Rice, who usually appears off the bench against southpaws. On Sunday, he stepped up, moving to leadoff against Ragans. It’s been interesting seeing this shift; Rice and Judge have become quite the pair, pushing each other to perform.
In the first inning, Rice walked and then sent a pitch, which Judge estimated traveled around 425 feet to Monument Park, marking Judge’s ninth home run of the season and his sixth in just eight games. It’s funny to think back to his slow start; he seems to be on track for an impressive total this year.
Following that early power display, the Yankees continued to demonstrate patience at the plate, scoring again against Ragans on three walks and a sacrifice fly from Austin Wells.
In the next inning, Rice continued to shine, hitting another solo home run against the same left-hander, reinforcing his position as a regular starter. He’s now notched four home runs over four games, bringing his total to eight this season.
The duo of Judge and Rice has now combined for 17 home runs, the highest for any pairing in baseball, which oddly outpaces the entire Mets team (16) and the Red Sox, who have 13.
On the defensive side, the Yankees allowed just seven hits during the game, but three were retired, adding ten walks which created some tight situations.
As the game progressed, any hope for Kansas City evaporated around the fifth inning. A mishap by Cody Bellinger, who misjudged a ball that was called as a double, left the Royals in a confusion among their fielders. After a walk by Paul Goldschmidt, Grisham capitalized on a high fastball, sending it into the right field stands, providing a lead that pitcher Weathers didn’t really need.
After a rough outing against the Angels, where he allowed four home runs, Weathers turned the tide, pitching eight innings with just five hits against him, one walk, and eight strikeouts. His current performance is pivotal, especially with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon nearing returns, as it opens two critical spots in the rotation.
Weathers, a lefty, effectively pitched right-handed against the Royals, demonstrating versatility and skill.
