The New York Yankees erased a late deficit Monday afternoon, defeating the Kansas City Royals 4-3 at Kauffman Stadium after Anthony Volpe lined a go-ahead two-run single in the ninth inning. New York improved its win streak against Kansas City to 12 games and bounced back after Bobby Witt Jr.’s eighth-inning homer briefly gave the Royals the lead.
The Yankees jumped ahead early behind Cody Bellinger, who launched a solo homer, while Jose Caballero added an RBI single to make it 2-0. Kansas City chipped away in the second when Michael Massey lifted a sacrifice fly after the Royals loaded the bases with no outs.
Will Warren kept the Yankees in control for much of the game with another steady outing. The right-hander limited damage and worked through traffic before Salvador Perez tied the game in the sixth with a historic solo homer, matching George Brett’s Kauffman Stadium record with his 136th home run at the ballpark.
Jake Bird surrendered a tiebreaking solo shot to Witt in the eighth, but New York answered immediately in the ninth against Lucas Erceg. Paul Goldschmidt reached on a broken-bat single before Jazz Chisholm Jr. ripped a double to put the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position. Volpe then delivered with a sharp single to left field, scoring both runners and giving the Yankees the lead for good.
Tim Hill earned the win in relief, while David Bednar worked around a late walk in the ninth to secure his 12th save of the season.
The Yankees continue their series against the Royals on Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium with first pitch scheduled for 7:40 p.m. Cam Schlittler (6-2, 1.50 ERA) is expected to start for New York, while Kansas City is likely to open with its bullpen.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.