The Yankees erased a one-run deficit in the ninth inning to defeat the Royals 4-3 at Kauffman Stadium, with Anthony Volpe's two-run single providing the decisive blow against Kansas City's closer.
Volpe went 1-for-3 with 2 RBI and a walk, delivering when it mattered most. Cody Bellinger opened the scoring with a 403-foot homer to right center in the second inning, going 1-for-4 with 1 RBI. J.C. Escarra collected three hits in four at-bats to pace the Yankees' nine-hit attack.
The game turned in the ninth when Volpe singled to left, scoring Max Schuemann and Jazz Chisholm to give New York the lead. Earlier, Bobby Witt Jr. had put Kansas City ahead 3-2 with a 432-foot homer to left in the eighth inning. Salvador Perez tied the game 2-2 in the sixth with his own homer, a 422-foot blast to left center after Michael Massey's sacrifice fly had cut the early deficit to 2-1.
Lucas Erceg took the loss after allowing 4 hits and 2 runs in one inning of work, carrying a 5.06 ERA. Michael Wacha pitched effectively for Kansas City, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits over seven innings with 5 strikeouts and carrying a 2.69 ERA. Tim Hill earned the win for New York, while David Bednar recorded his 12th save.
The Yankees improved to 31-22 and snapped a losing streak. Kansas City fell to 22-31, ending a two-game winning streak. Wacha is 24 strikeouts away from 1,500 career strikeouts.