By Rustin Dodd, Tyler Kepner, Chris Kirschner and Brendan Kuty
KANSAS CITY – The American League Championship Series has been unkind to the New York Yankees lately, but they’re ready to give it another try. The Yankees will play for a spot in the World Series after finishing off the Kansas City Royals on Thursday, three games to one, with a 3-1 victory in Game 4 of their American League Division Series at Kauffman Stadium.
The Yankees — who will host Cleveland or Detroit in Game 1 on Saturday — will make their sixth visit to the ALCS since last winning it in 2009. They have lost to Texas in 2010, Detroit in 2012 and Houston in 2017, 2019 and 2022, going a combined 7-20 in those series.
This ALCS, however, will be only the second of the six with the Yankees holding home-field advantage. The other time was in 2012, when Derek Jeter broke his ankle, Alex Rodriguez got benched and the Tigers rolled to a sweep. The Yankees will host Games 1 and 2 of this ALCS and, if needed, Games 6 and 7.
Yankees veterans show up
When the Yankees needed them most, their veterans finally showed up en masse.
Gleyber Torres started the game with a double and scored on Juan Soto’s single for a 1-0 lead that lasted into the fifth inning. Then with two outs in the fifth, Jon Berti singled to put runners on the corners for Torres, who knocked in Alex Verdugo (fielder’s choice) with a line-drive single to right field.
In the sixth, Aaron Judge finally arrived at the party, doubling to left-center to start the frame and moving to third base on an Austin Wells ground out. Then Giancarlo Stanton — Wednesday’s Game 3 hero — ripped a single up the middle with the infield in, bringing in Judge for a 3-0 Yankees advantage.
Stanton comes through AGAIN! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/NgZ610kgXy
— MLB (@MLB) October 11, 2024
Tying it together was ace Gerrit Cole, who rebounded from his Game 1 disappointment. Cole retired the first six hitters he faced. He struck out four, walked none and scattered six hits. He threw 87 pitches with his fastball topping out at 98.9 mph. He leaned mostly on his heater (48 pitches), but also worked in his cutter (17) and knuckle curve (15). It was a departure from his Game 1 mix, in which he threw a lot more sliders and fewer fastballs.
KC can rue the wind (and dimensions)
The ball hung in the air in the bottom of the seventh, sailing toward the bullpen in right field, and for a moment, it looked like Royals center fielder Kyle Isbel had tied the game with a two-run shot off Gerrit Cole.
Then the baseball fell to earth, dropping harmlessly into the glove of Yankees right fielder Juan Soto, just in front of the fence.
Did the wind help knock the ball down? According to the official scorer at Kauffman Stadium, the wind was blowing from right field to left field at 6 mph at first pitch. It continued to blow the rest of the night.
This flyout by Kyle Isbel would have been a Home Run in 24 ballparks, including Yankee Stadium pic.twitter.com/AFowuqqUsi
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) October 11, 2024
Isbel’s fly ball still carried 370 feet. It would have been a home run in 24 parks. Not at Kauffman Stadium, where the power alleys are 387 feet from home plate and straight-away right field is more than 370 feet away.
The Royals’ MJ Melendez had tested the wind earlier, in the bottom of the fifth. His deep fly ball traveled just 349 feet, though it would have been a home run in five other parks, including Yankee Stadium.
Royals’ Quatraro makes aggressive pitching move in fifth
Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Wednesday it would be “all hands on deck” in Game 4. Translation: He went to his closer Lucas Erceg in the top of the fifth.
The situation: With two outs and runners at the corners, the Yankees’ Gleyber Torres singled off Royals starter Michael Wacha, stretching New York’s lead to 2-0.
That brought up Juan Soto, and Quatraro turned to Erceg, the Royals’ top reliever. Erceg got Soto to fly out, ending the threat.
The only possible quibble with the ultra-aggressive maneuver: It came one batter too late. And then Erceg ran into trouble himself when he returned for the sixth.
The right-hander surrendered a leadoff double to Aaron Judge and an RBI single to Giancarlo Stanton with one out as the Yankees jumped ahead 3-0. The Royals only escaped the inning when Anthony Volpe lined out to first baseman Yuli Gurriel, who doubled Jazz Chisholm Jr. off first base. The Royals held the Yankees scoreless from there.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. loves trolling
Jazz Chisholm Jr. made sure his presence was known throughout this series. He made waves after Game 2 when he told reporters that the Royals were lucky to win that night. This statement made him public enemy No. 1 when the series moved to Kansas City. He was booed heavily during pregame introductions Wednesday night and in every plate appearance that followed.
The Yankees’ third baseman said he loves being a troll and felt joy in getting under the skin of Royals fans everywhere. It fuels him.
“I ain’t never seen nobody boo a bum,” he said.
Chisholm, being the instigator he is, found himself in the middle of an on-field kerfuffle in the sixth inning that led to both benches clearing. Royals second baseman Michael Massey hit into a 3-3-6 double play. Maikel Garcia was tagged out at second by Anthony Volpe, who patted him on the back multiple times after he was ruled out. Garcia took exception to this. Chisholm ran over to intervene in the dust-up between Volpe and Garcia, escalating the tension.
The delay lasted a few minutes and brought the crowd at Kauffman Stadium back into the game. Once the game continued, Bobby Witt Jr. singled and scored after Vinnie Pasquantino laced an opposite-field RBI double into the left-center field gap, cutting the Yankees’ lead to 3-1.
Chisholm’s mouth got him more headlines than his bat. He finished the series 2-for-15 with a solo home run in Game 2.
(Top photo of Gerrit Cole: Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
