Yankees Run Past Royals To Take Series Finale In Extra Innings

 

There was a pregame tribute on the 23rd anniversary of the September 11th attacks. Photo by Jason Schott.

The Yankees won a thriller against the Kansas City Royals, 4-3, in 11 innings on Wednesday night, as they took two out of three in this series that felt like a possible playoff preview right out of the '70s.

The Yankees took the opener Monday night, 10-4, before they were shutout by Seth Lugo, 5-0. on Tuesday night.

With the win, the Yankees are now 84-62, and they gained a game on the Baltimore Orioles - who are now 83-64 after they lost at Fenway Park to the Boston Red Sox, 5-3 in 10 innings - in the American League East race, now 1 1/2 games ahead. Kansas City is now 80-67, in possession of the second Wild Card spot.

Luis Gil got the start for the Yankees in this one, his first outing at The Stadium since August 20, when he suffered an injury against the Cleveland Guardians that sent him to the injured list. The right-hander made his return last Friday, when he threw six shutout innings in a 3-0 win at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs.

Gil nearly matched that outing, as he threw five innings, and allowed just one run on five hits and two walks, with five strikeouts. The only blemish on his night was a solo home run by Michael Massey to right field in the fourth inning.

Luis Gil pitching to Tommy Pham in third inning. Photo by Jason Schott.

Gil has now had 16 games this season in which he has allowed one-or-zero runs, and that is tied  for the most by a Yankees rookie pitcher in franchise history with Russ Ford, who had 16 in 1910.

Even though Gil ended up with a no-decision, he is 13-6 with a 3.18 ERA (earned run average) in 26 starts. He has thrown 135 2/3 innings, and allowed 49 runs (48 earned) on 89 hits(including 13 home runs) and 70 walks, with 156 strikeouts.

That 1-0 Royals lead held up for Royals starter Cole Ragans, who threw five shutout innings, in which he allowed just one hit and one walk.

Cole Ragans pitching to Jose Trevino in the third inning. Photo by Jason Schott.

The lineup turned over in the sixth when he allowed a one-out walk to Gleyber Torres. 

That brought up Juan Soto, and he fouled one right off the top of his foot, which required some attention from Yankees Manager Aaron Boone and the training staff.

Juan Soto being examined up the first base line after hitting one off his foot. Photo by Jason Schott.

After a lengthy examination, he would stay in the game, and on the second pitch after getting back in the box, he crushed one to deep right field for a two-run shot to put the Yankees ahead, 2-1.

Juan Soto approaching first base on his blast into right field. Photo by Jason Schott.

This was Soto's 39th home run of the season, and gave him 100 RBI on his first season in pinstripes.

"Huge swing by Juan there, a little rope-a-dope, got off the mat, put one in the seats," Boone said. "He's got that theatric thing down pretty good, so, but not taking away, I don't mean like he was being theatric (in the vein of being overdramatic), I mean he's down, he smokes it, just above his foot, but just under the pad, so it's in a rough spot, and you're like, man, you know I was a little worried he was going to be able to finish. You know, in some ways, maybe it locked him in even more in that at-bat, you know, like, just, I got to keep it a little more simple and put a great swing on it."

Kansas City tied it in the seventh inning against Yankees reliever Clay Holmes. Kyle Isbel and Tommy Pham opened the frame with singles, and Salvador Perez crushed one to left for a sacrifice fly to bring in the tying run.

It appeared the Yankees had taken the lead in the bottom of the seventh against Royals reliever Sam Long, when Anthony Volpe, who led off the frame, tried to come around from second base on a hit by Jose Trevino to first base.

The Yankees catcher was initially ruled safe at first base, as he eluded the tag of first baseman Perez. Meanwhile, Volpe went for the plate, but Perez's throw was spot on and nabbed him by a few steps. Kansas City then challenged the play at first, and it was overturned, as Trevino ran out of the basepaths, so it turned into a double play to end the inning.

It stayed tied until the 10th when the Royals got a run made possible by the current extra inning format. Dairon Blanco was in as the "ghost runner" at second base, and he stole third before taking the plate on a wild pitch by Jake Cousins.

In the bottom half of the tenth, the Yankees' "ghost runner," Volpe, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Oswaldo Cabrera and came in to score on a sacrifice fly by Austin Wells to tie it at 3.

Luke Weaver, who got the final outs in the top of the 10th, stayed on to pitch the top of the 11th, and he retired the Royals in order and kept them off the board. Off the five outs he recorded, three were strikeouts.

In the bottom of the 11th, with Jon Berti in as the "ghost runner," Soto hit a grounder to the right side to move him over to third base.

Aaron Judge, who somehow has not homered since August 25, was intentionally walked and he took second base on defensive indifference, taking out any chance at a conventional double play.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. then hit one to shortstop, which Bobby Witt Jr. was able to reach out and grab, and he fired it home to try to nab Berti, but it was up the first base line, and the Yankees walked off with the 4-3 win. 

Jon Berti sliding home with the winning run. Photos by Jason Schott.

The celebration that followed. Photo by Jason Schott.

This was Chisholm Jr.'s first career walk-off hit, and the third of the season for the Yankees, with the other two coming on May 3 against Detroit and August 4 against Toronto. He has hit safely in 24 of 32 games since joining the Yankees on July 28, as he has hit .298 with nine home runs, 16 RBI, nine walks, and 13 stolen bases.

Afterwards, Boone said this win is "Really up there" as one of the best of their season. "It was a really good one. Ragans, again, was really tough on us. Huge swing by Juan there, a little rope-a-dope, got off the mat, put one in the seats. I mean, just a huge at-bat there. Ragans was kind of having his way with us a little bit - he was tough. You know, and just a lot of guys did a lot of good things in a game in which runs were hard to come by. Did some things to get some guys over. I like the aggressive play by Volp (yes, that's his nickname) there; they made a play (referring to the chaotic double play that ended the seventh inning). Bullpen was excellent. Luis wasn't perfect, but still you look up, and it's five innings, one run, so just a lot of good things, some important plays in the field. Jazz makes a great play down the line, and then, obviously, has a great at-bat in the end."