Salvador Perez's leadoff homer in the fourth inning ignited a four-run surge against Carlos Rodón, propelling the Kansas City Royals to a 4-2 victory over the New York Yankees on Monday night, evening the AL Division Series at one game apiece.
Following an uneven four-inning outing by Cole Ragans, the Royals' bullpen effectively shut down the Yankees. Tommy Pham, Garrett Hampson, and Maikel Garcia contributed with RBI singles, with Garcia impressively collecting four hits in the game.
Game 3 of this best-of-five playoff series is set for Wednesday night at Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium, marking the Royals' first postseason home game since the 2015 World Series.
Despite a strong start by Giancarlo Stanton, who drove in a run with a single in the third inning, the Yankees struggled with runners in scoring position, going 1 for 6 in the game and 3 for 19 over the two games.
Ragans limited the Yankees to just one run and three hits, striking out five batters. The Royals' bullpen, led by Angel Zerpa and John Schreiber, held the lead before Kris Bubic and Lucas Erceg closed out the game.
Perez's homer off Rodón tied the game, setting the stage for the Royals' offensive outburst. Yuli Gurriel, Pham, Hampson, and Garcia all contributed to the scoring, putting Kansas City ahead 4-1.
Rodón, who is lined up for a potential Game 5 start, struggled against the Royals, giving up four runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings.
Looking ahead, Yankees' Clarke Schmidt will make his first postseason start in Game 3, while Seth Lugo is set to start for the Royals after an impressive performance against the Yankees earlier in September.
With the series now tied at 1-1, both teams are gearing up for a crucial Game 3 showdown at Kauffman Stadium, where the Royals will look to capitalize on their home-field advantage.
