NEW YORK -- It was a homecoming of sorts for Royals right-handers Ian Kennedy and Chien-Ming Wang, both former Yankees.
Kennedy played for the Bronx Bombers in 2009, but he never pitched at the new Yankee Stadium. He did so Thursday, giving up seven runs in 6 1/3 innings in the Royals' 7-3 loss.
Kennedy, who gave up three home runs, two of them likely Yankee Stadium short-porch homers, believes the dimensions at the new stadium are even smaller than the old.
"They say it's the same dimensions here," Kennedy said. "But it's a little different. [Other players] say the power alleys are shorter. I don't know if it gets checked very often."
Kennedy gave up an opposite-field homer to Starlin Castro in the first, then a two-run opposite-field homer down the left-field line to Chase Headley in the second.
"He hit it well down the line," Kennedy said of Headley. "It was a good pitch. I put him in a 3-1 count, but he just put a good bat on the ball.
"I meant to throw a slider to Castro. It was a cutter."

Wang did pitch here in 2009. But he told Taiwanese reporters after the game that coming back held no special emotion for him.
Royals manager Ned Yost agreed.
"I didn't think so," Yost said. "I didn't see any emotion out of him at all."
Wang pitched 2/3 of an inning and gave up two walks and a hit, permitting a pair of inherited runners to score.

The Royals and Kennedy had hoped to salvage a split in the four-game series and try to curb the recent slide in which the Royals have lost 12 of 16.
"I felt really good," Kennedy said. "I felt good in the bullpen. It's kind of a shame. It's kind of a waste when you feel good and you physically feel good and you lose, and you don't give your team a chance. I just made a couple of mistakes and got beat by the long ball."