KANSAS CITY – For 10 consecutive regular-season games, 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 11 straight regular-season victories over Kansas City marks the longest winning streak against an opponent since the Yankees took 12 straight from Boston over the 2019-20 seasons.
“It just felt great to contribute and help the team win,” Volpe said. “You do it for this, for the guys. I’m just trying to go out there and compete. Help the team win and have fun. It’s the same game I’ve been playing forever. We have really big goals, and it’s going to take all of us.”
With one out in the ninth, the Yankees caught a break when Goldschmidt was jammed. But his softly hit ball to shortstop with excessive spin enabled him to get the infield hit.
“Goldy gets rewarded there,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Getting blown up on the fists and he’s able to beat it out. Then a good at-bat by Jazz to sneak it past the first baseman, and getting to second was not a given by any means.”
With the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position, Volpe came through after sitting out the previous two games with José Caballero at shortstop.
“No panic there with two strikes,” Boone said of Volpe’s at-bat. “He gets one elevated and gets enough of it to drive it out to left-center. He’s a gamer. He’s a tough kid and continues to work his tail off and play his tail off.”
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.
“[Warren] kind of grinded today,” Boone said. “It’s just a sign of how far he has come as a pitcher. Six innings, two runs allowed. The game could have gotten away from him very easily. Just a tick off mechanically, but he was able to make a lot of good pitches.”
The Yankees scored early on Cody Bellinger’s first road homer this year and Caballero’s RBI single in the second.
But it wound up taking some dramatics in the ninth for the Yankees’ winning streak against the Royals to continue.
“We haven’t necessarily broken out, but I feel like we’re putting up quality at-bats,” Boone said. “We got rewarded there at the end.”