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The New York Yankees continue to be the Kansas City Royals\u2019 nemeses.<\/p>\n
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And the Royals came close to vanquishing their longtime adversaries at Kauffman Stadium on Monday afternoon.<\/p>\n
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The Royals took a 3-2 lead in the eighth inning of the Memorial Day game thanks to Bobby Witt Jr.\u2019s emphatic solo homer off Yankees reliever Jake Bird. When the ball carried into the left-field seats, it seemed like that could be the deciding blow.<\/p>\n
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Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe had other ideas. He hit a two-run single in the ninth off KC reliever Lucas Erceg as the Yankees escaped with a 4-3 victory.<\/p>\n
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The Royals (22-32) have now lost 11 consecutive regular-season games to New York\u2019s American League franchise. Kansas City\u2019s last regular-season win against the Yankees came on Sept. 10, 2024.<\/p>\n
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Monday\u2019s loss was the fifth for the Royals during their nine-game homestand. Two more games remain in this series, Tuesday and Wednesday, against the Yankees.<\/p>\n
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Few lineups across Major League Baseball are constructed quite like the Yankees\u2019. New York\u2019s batting order is sprinkled with All-Stars \u2014 led by three-time MVP Aaron Judge.<\/p>\n
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Facing the Yankees makes for a long day at the office for any big-league pitcher. On Monday afternoon, however, Royals starter Michael Wacha neutralized New York\u2019s lineup for six innings.<\/p>\n
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The 34-year-old right-hander allowed two runs and five hits while striking out four.<\/p>\n
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Wacha shook off an early mistake in the second inning. Yankees slugger Cody Bellinger turned around a 91.9 mph fastball on the inside corner for his seventh home run of the year.<\/p>\n
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Wacha kept plugging along, however. He surrendered two runs that inning but limited the damage just enough. A two-out walk led to New York\u2019s second run, via Jose Caballero\u2019s RBI single, but that was it offensively for the visitors \u2014 off Wacha, anyway.<\/p>\n
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Wacha didn\u2019t allow a run in his final five innings. He threw 59 of his 93 pitches for strikes, relying primarily on his fastball and changeup. He also showcased his curveball, which registered seven swings and three whiffs, per Baseball Savant.<\/p>\n
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The Royals did enough to take Wacha off the hook. Michael Massey hit a sacrifice fly in the second inning and team captain Salvador Perez tied the game at 2 with a solo homer in the sixth.<\/p>\n
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Perez is now six homers shy of setting the Royals\u2019 career record. He also pulled into a tie with Hall of Famer George Brett with his 136th career homer at Kauffman Stadium.<\/p>\n
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Wacha eventually handed things over to the Royals\u2019 bullpen.<\/p>\n
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Daniel Lynch IV threw a scoreless eighth inning before Erceg blew the save opportunity in the ninth.<\/p>\n
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Erceg got one out, then put Yankees on second and third by allowing a single to Paul Goldschmidt and double to Jazz Chisholm Jr. That set the stage for shortstop Anthony Volpe to lace a go-ahead, two-run single to left.<\/p>\n
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The Royals couldn\u2019t overcome that late swing on the scoreboard. Yankees closer David Bednar earned his 12th save by retiring the Royals in order in the bottom of the ninth.<\/p>\n
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The Yankees (32-22) now have 12 comeback wins this season.<\/p>\n
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What\u2019s next:<\/b> The Royals continue their three-game series against the Yankees on Tuesday. KC hasn\u2019t announced a starter to oppose New York right-hander Cam Schlittler (6-2, 1.50 ERA) in the evening game at Kauffman Stadium. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. Central Time.<\/p>\n
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This story was originally published May 25, 2026 at 5:34 PM.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n