NEW YORK (AP) — Ryan McMahon came off the bench and broke out of his season-long slump with a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the eighth inning as the New York Yankees beat the skidding Kansas City Royals 4-2 on Friday night.
Ben Rice also hit a two-run homer and the Yankees got another strong start from Cam Schlittler in winning their ninth consecutive game against Kansas City, including a playoff series two years ago.
New York is 15-3 versus the Royals since the start of 2024.
Vinnie Pasquantino launched a tying homer in the top of the eighth and drove in both runs for the Royals (7-13), who have dropped five straight and eight of 10. The first four losses during their skid were all by one run.
Michael Wacha tossed six solid innings for Kansas City in a matchup between two of baseball's most dominant pitchers early this year.
With the score tied 2-all, Rice singled off reliever Alex Lange (0-1) with two outs in the eighth. McMahon, who entered on defense at third base in the top of the inning, lofted a 2-1 changeup 372 feet the other way to left field, and the ball appeared to get a push from the wind as it cleared the fence.
It was the first extra-base hit this season for McMahon, who began the night batting .119 (5 for 42) with two RBIs. Even against a right-handed starter, he was left out of the starting lineup by manager Aaron Boone in favor of right-handed-hitter Amed Rosario.
David Bednar struck out two in a hitless ninth for his sixth save.
Pasquantino homered to the short porch in right field on a 97 mph sinker from winner Camilo Doval (1-0) with two outs in the eighth. The solo shot was Pasquantino's second homer this season — both in the past two days.
Cody Bellinger singled leading off the fourth and, one out later, Rice reached down and lined a 1-1 pitch 364 feet into the right-field stands.
Hitters had been 0 for 19 this season against Wacha's changeup before Rice connected for his sixth homer.
Royals LHP Noah Cameron (1-0, 3.94 ERA) faces RHP Will Warren (1-0, 2.45) in the middle game of the series Saturday afternoon.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
The Best Cymbidium and Orchid Show and Sale held in the San Francisco Peninsula will be the … Read moreAnnual Cymbidium & Orchid Show and Sale hosted by the Gold Coast Cymbidium Society & Peninsula Orchid Society
What is a fantasy in music—a form, or a freedom shared between performers? Read moreViolin Fantasie: Polina Sedukh, violin, Irina Behrendt, piano
robertwhitehair said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.