The New York Yankees (42-25) capped off a dominant series in Kansas City with a gritty 1-0 win on Thursday night, completing a three-game sweep of the Royals (34-35) behind a strong start from rookie Will Warren and some late-inning small ball.
With Aaron Judge getting his first day off of the season, New York’s offense struggled against Royals right-hander Seth Lugo, collecting just two hits and three walks over 5.2 innings.
Warren, however, matched Lugo pitch for pitch. The right-hander worked around early traffic, including a one-out triple in the fifth, and kept the Royals off the board through 5.2 innings before turning it over to the bullpen. Tim Hill entered with a runner on and retired the dangerous Vinnie Pasquantino to preserve the shutout.
The Yankees finally broke through in the eighth. Paul Goldschmidt lined a ball off the first baseman’s glove, and Pablo Reyes scored after a throwing error allowed him to scramble home for the game’s only run.
The bullpen took it the rest of the way. Jonathan Loáisiga handled the eighth, and Devin Williams shut the door in the ninth, locking up the Yankees’ MLB-leading fourth 1-0 win of the season.
Next, the Yankees head to Boston for a three-game series against the Red Sox. Ryan Yarbrough gets the start Friday against Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet. The first pitch is set for 7:10 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].