Yankees 6, Orioles 5
On Saturday, the New York Yankees grabbed a crucial victory in Game One of the ALDS over the Kansas City Royals, 6–5, in a back-and-forth battle between two AL foes. The Yankees looked to ace Gerrit Cole to lead them to the win, while the Royals looked to veteran Michael Wacha. After the Royals swept the Baltimore Orioles, they traveled to another AL East opponent to make a surprise. However, the Yankees weathered the storm with some late-game heroics.
Yankees – Royals Game Summary
Game One between two teams took a start that the home Yankees did not want to see. In the second inning, Tommy Pham hit a sacrifice fly to score Yuli Gurriel, giving the Royals an early lead. In the bottom of the third, Gleyber Torres hit a two-run home run to take the lead. The Royals responded quickly, with MJ Melendez hitting a two-run home run in the top of the fourth inning. In the bottom of the fifth, the Yankees worked with excellent plate discipline to get two more players on the board. Austin Wells and Anthony Volpe drew walks with bases loaded to retake the lead. A half inning later, the Royals snatched the lead back. Garrett Hampson hit a two-run single to score Gurriel and Pham. All in all, the Yankees got the last laugh. In the sixth, Wells singled to score Alex Verdugo. In the bottom of the seventh, Verdugo hit an RBI single to score Jazz Chisolm Jr. and secure the 6–5 victory.
Alex Verdugo RBI single!@Yankees lead! #Postseason pic.twitter.com/bxfPQOlQt4
— MLB (@MLB) October 6, 2024
Verdugo spoke on his clutch RBI single, loving the moment’s pressure, “Yeah, it was huge. Obviously look back, too, it’s the game-winning RBI…Every at-bat, every pitch in the playoffs matters, and this is the kind of baseball that I love.”
What Went Right for the Yankees
Plate Discipline
The Yankees plate discipline was on full display last night. The Yankees ranked first in walks, drawing 672 walks in the regular season. That fantastic stat carried to the postseason. The Yankees drew eight walks last night, with two crucial walks drawn by Austin Wells and Anthony Volpe scoring two runs from their plate discipline. Free bases always help; they took control of the plate last night.
The @Yankees regain the lead on a pair of bases-loaded walks! #ALDS pic.twitter.com/oVvE3b7doc
— MLB (@MLB) October 6, 2024
Responding to Adversity
The back and forth between the Yankees and Royals left at least one team to fall. It wasn’t the Yankees who responded to falling behind very well. They fell behind thrice, but they quickly responded to tie or take the lead each time. From a team that is assumed to be AL favorites, champions can react to adversity. They did it very well.
Aaron Boone congratulated the team after a tough win and overcoming leads, “Gritty game by them, just the back and forth, a lot of big plays, a lot of big moments. Really happy with our at-bats. We didn’t necessarily sting the ball all over the yard, but, man, we had a lot of heavy at-bats, big at-bats. Almost really close to really breaking it open. We didn’t get a big hit in some certain situations, but I thought our at-bat quality, man, we were tough.”
What Went Wrong for the Yankees
Gerrit Cole
The AL No. 1 seed looked towards their go-to guy for Game One. Now, they see that it wasn’t his best stuff. The 2023 Cy Young winner went five innings, allowing seven hits, two walks, three earned runs and four strikeouts. Cole looks to regain his best if he has a next start or an emergency relief position if he needs to be called upon.
Cole spoke on his performance, saying its need to be better while complimenting the foes in front of him, “I made my fair share of mistakes, that’s for sure. Need to be sharper. But they put a couple really good pitches in play, too, and one was the Melendez homer.””
Aaron Judge
After an illustrious regular season, the presumptive 2024 AL MVP struggled in his first playoff game. Aaron Judge went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. He worked a walk in the fifth inning which gave the Yankees some momentum, but he did not find his hot bat in a pressure night in New York.
What Went Right for the Royals
Team Hitting
As a unit, the Royals did well to bat around Gerrit Cole. Working seven hits off the ace of the Yankees is tough work, but the Royals have caught momentum against tough pitchers after their Wild Card sweep against the Orioles. Michael Massey and MJ Melendez both had two hit games, with two RBI by Melendez. The long ball finally came as well, with no home runs against the Orioles in the Wild Card.
Lucas Erceg
In a not so great night for the Royals bullpen, Lucas Erceg kept his impressive pitching rolling. Recording four outs, he struck out three batters, walked one, and allowed no hits. It’s clear to see that Erceg has solidified himself to be the Royals closer in tough situations. The trade deadline acquisition seems to be a win for the AL Central.
What Went Wrong for the Royals
Pitching
As mentioned earlier, the Royals pitching was not up to their stardom like they achieved in the Wild Card series. The Bullpen allowed three earned runs, while starter Michael Wacha also allowed three earned runs. The work could be better from the pitching unit as a whole.
Bobby Witt Jr.
Just as Aaron Judge was criticized for his hitless performance, it was the same struggle for the other AL MVP challenger Bobby Witt Jr. Witt went 0-for-5, while flying out three times and striking out once. For the star shortstop, it was a tough day in the batters box for the speedster.
Quick Hits
The Yankees snapped a four game losing streak in their Game One victory. Meanwhile, the Royals lose their first game of the 2024 playoffs after their loss.
Looking Ahead
The Yankees will start lefty Carlos Rodon (16–9 3.96 ERA) for his first 2024 postseason start in a crucial Game Two in Yankee Stadium. The Royals will go back to Cole Ragans (1-0, 0.00 ERA) to try and win a assumed must win Game Two.
Royals skipper Matt Quatraro spoke on how tough Game Two will be, but how his squad is ready, “We’re here to play. We’re confident. We know it’s going to be a tough game, clearly, but I’m not worried about their morale or anything like that.”
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