The New York Yankees (51-47) used the long ball to help snap a four-game skid and pick up a 5-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals (28-71) in the series opener at Yankee Stadium on Friday night.
Franchy Cordero, Gleyber Torres, and Billy McKinney homered. McKinney’s was a three-run shot that put the Yankees on top in the fourth and eventually for good as the bullpen held on.
Clarke Schmidt allowed three runs on five hits over 5 2/3 innings after retiring the first nine batters. Wandy Peralta, Michael King, and Clay Holmes posted scoreless appearances. Tommy Kahnle’s recent struggles continued as he surrendered a run for the fourth straight outing.
The Yankees will try to win their first series since June 27-29 on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. with Gerrit Cole on the bump.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].