KANSAS CITY – For 11 consecutive games, including the postseason, the Yankees had figured out ways to beat the Royals. They did it again on Monday when Anthony Volpe delivered a two-strike, two-run single in the ninth inning to give New York a 4-3 victory at Kauffman Stadium.
Bobby Witt Jr. had snapped a 2-2 tie with a leadoff homer in the eighth inning off Jake Bird, and the Yankees were on the ropes. But facing Kansas City closer Lucas Erceg, New York got a one-out infield single from Paul Goldschmidt and a double by Jazz Chisholm Jr. to put runners at second and third.
With the infield in and on a 1-2 count, Volpe served a single to left for the game-winner.
New York’s 12 straight victories over Kansas City, including the postseason, marks the longest winning streak against an opponent since the Yankees also took 12 straight from Boston over the 2019-20 seasons.
The Yankees grabbed a quick 2-0 lead for starter Will Warren, and they could have been in even better position early in the game. In the third and fourth innings, New York was unable to score after having a runner at third with just one out in both frames.
That left the door open for the Royals to score single runs in the second and sixth innings to set the stage for Witt’s go-ahead homer. Warren’s only glitches were issuing three walks in the second, enabling Michael Massey to cash in with a sacrifice fly. Then Salvador Perez launched a solo homer in the sixth to tie the game.
The Yankees scored early on Cody Bellinger’s first road homer this year and José Caballero’s RBI single in the second.