The Kansas City Royals leveled their American League Division Series against the New York Yankees with a 4-2 win on Monday night, highlighted by Salvador Perez’s crucial home run and a resilient bullpen performance.
The turning point came in the fourth inning when Perez homered off Yankees starter Carlos Rodón to lead off a four-run rally. Rodón, who had been solid through the first three innings, faltered in the fourth, allowing a series of hits that shifted the game’s momentum. Perez’s solo shot was followed by timely hits from Tommy Pham, Garrett Hampson, and Maikel Garcia, each driving in runs to extend Kansas City’s lead. Garcia, promoted from the ninth to the top spot in the Royals’ batting order, shined, going 4-for-4 in the game.
Kansas City’s starter, Cole Ragans, struggled with consistency but kept the Yankees in check, allowing just one run on three hits over four innings. He struck out five but issued four walks, necessitating early bullpen action. The Royals’ relief corps, however, delivered a stellar performance, with Angel Zerpa and John Schreiber combining for two hitless innings. Kris Bubic followed with two more scoreless innings, and Lucas Erceg closed out the ninth for his third save of the postseason.
Giancarlo Stanton initially put the Yankees on the board with an RBI single in the third inning, giving New York a brief lead. However, the Yankees’ inability to capitalize with runners in scoring position proved costly, going just 1-for-6 in those situations in Game 2 and 3-for-19 across the series so far.
Yankees star Aaron Judge, expected to be named AL MVP with Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. a close runner-up, continued to struggle at the plate. Judge managed just an infield single, going 1-for-3 in the game and 1-for-7 with four strikeouts in the series. Witt Jr. also had a tough night, finishing 0-for-5 with three strikeouts, dropping him to 0-for-10 across the two games.
The Royals’ win ties the series at one game apiece, ensuring at least a fourth game and shifting the momentum as the series heads to Kansas City for Game 3 on Wednesday night. With all four Division Series tied 1-1, this marks the first time since the round’s inception in 1995 that every matchup has started so evenly. As Kansas City and New York prepare for a pivotal Game 3, the Royals hope to use their home-field advantage to gain an edge in the best-of-five series.
