KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Giancarlo Stanton delivered a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning during a close matchup of bullpens, leading the New York Yankees to a 3-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night in Game 3 of their AL Division Series at Kauffman Stadium.
Stanton concluded the game with three hits, two RBIs, and even recorded a stolen base for the first time in four years. The Yankees are now looking to clinch their spot in the American League Championship Series, turning to six-time All-Star pitcher Gerrit Cole on Thursday night.
“We need to wrap it up tomorrow. No wiggle room,” Stanton emphasized. “We’ve got to get it done.”
The game was predominantly a display of strong pitching. The Royals utilized four relievers before Kris Bubic, who transitioned from starter to bullpen ace, took the mound in the eighth. After striking out Austin Wells, Bubic gave up a 3-1 pitch that Stanton sent nearly 420 feet to left field, putting New York ahead.
“He’s done it throughout his career with us,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone praised. “I thought that at-bat off Bubic was just phenomenal. He went up there looking to do damage.”
In the bottom of the eighth, the Royals attempted to respond against Luke Weaver, managing Bobby Witt Jr.’s first hit of the series along with a two-out single from veteran Salvador Perez. However, Weaver maintained his composure, getting Yuli Gurriel to fly out and completing the ninth inning for a save, capping 4 1/3 scoreless innings for the New York bullpen.
Yankees relievers have not allowed an earned run in 13 2/3 innings during this postseason.
“I think that’s been one of our strengths, if not our main strength, the whole year,” Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt remarked.
New York’s Aaron Judge, a frontrunner for the AL MVP award, continued to struggle, ending the night 0-for-4 and leaving him with just one hit in 11 at-bats during the series. He did walk once, contributing to the Yankees’ total of 22 walks in three games.
“You’ve got to tip your cap to them,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro stated. “They’re not chasing. They’re not expanding. But we also have to do a better job of limiting those for sure.”
This game marked the Royals’ first playoff appearance at Kauffman Stadium in 3,268 days, following their victory over the Mets in Game 2 of the 2015 World Series. Eric Hosmer, the first baseman from that championship team, was present to throw the ceremonial first pitch, alongside Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in attendance.
The Yankees initially struggled against Seth Lugo’s array of pitches without securing a score early in the game. Juan Soto’s fly out in the first would have been a home run in 17 other stadiums. Judge’s hard line drive was caught by Witt, with an exit velocity of 114 mph. In the third inning, Gleyber Torres hit a ball to the warning track in right field after a review confirmed a previous foul.
New York finally scored in the fourth when Stanton’s double allowed Soto to score from first, although he might have been out with a better throw from Witt. Soto later contributed a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the fifth inning.
The Royals responded in the fifth with a two-run rally, led by Kyle Isbel’s two-out double and a sinking liner from Michael Massey that resulted in an RBI triple, putting the game at 2-2.
Stanton’s subsequent home run was crucial in pushing New York toward the ALCS.
“They bring in great arms out of the ‘pen — they run outstanding starting pitchers out there — so it’s not easy,” Boone noted. “Even in the second game where we only scored two, we’ve given ourselves a lot of chances in the first few games with plate discipline. Hopefully we can break through soon.”
STARTING PITCHING
Schmidt allowed two runs on four hits and a walk across 4 2/3 innings for the Yankees, while Lugo pitched five innings, giving up two hits and walking four for Kansas City, which led the league in walks this season.
UP NEXT
The Yankees will have Gerrit Cole (8-5, 3.41 ERA) on the mound again Thursday night, after he conceded four runs — three earned — in five innings during the opener but did not earn a decision in the Yankees’ 6-5 win. For the Royals, Michael Wacha (13-8, 3.35 ERA) will face Cole again after a four-inning outing on Saturday, in which he allowed three runs before departing.