Headley,Castro,Gregorious Power Yankees to 7-3 Win Over Royals

Chase Headley finally got an extra base hit.  To delight of the Yankees, it was one of three homeruns that powered the Bombers to a 7-3 win that clinched the series against the defending World Series champ Kansas City Royals.  Didi Gregorious and Starlin Castro also homered and all three contributed 2 RBI each.

Starter Nathan Eovaldi garnered the win with only five innings pitched, allowing eight hits and three runs.  The flamethrower did not have his best start of the year, but battled to get the game to the bullpen, which ultimately retired 12 of the 13 batters they faced.

The Yankees welcomed back right-hander Ian Kennedy, who fans remember as the “other” guy of the trio which included Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain from Bomber yesteryear.  Coming into the game, Kennedy sported a 4-2 record with 2.13 ERA, which ranked for 7th in the American League.

On the eighth pitch of the game, second baseman Starlin Castro launched a 1-1 fastball over the auxiliary scoreboard for his fourth home-run of the season and it gave New York a 1-0 lead.

In the bottom of the second, after Carlos Beltran walked, Chase Headley (who everyone and their grandmother who has no concept of what baseball is, knew that the third baseman was still looking for his first extra base hit of the year) stepped to the plate and hit a line drive into the left field stands.  Headley’s first home run ended the statistical punchline attached to his name and gave the Bombers a 3-0 lead.

In the top of the fourth, Royals center fielder Alex Gordon hit a 99 mph fastball deep into the bleachers above the bullpen to put the Royals on the board 3-1.  But, the Royals were not done in the fourth.  With two outs, Cheslor Cuthbert doubled to right and scored on a Christian Colon single inching the Royals closer to make the score 3-2.

But, in the bottom of the fourth, the Yankees answered back with a two-run home run from shortstop Didi Gregorious, his third of the year, which upped the lead to 5-2.

Starter Nathan Eovaldi allowed another Alex Gordon hit, which scored Eric Hosmer to make the score 5-3.  Catcher Salvador Perez gave it a ride for a potential lead, but at the wall Carlos Beltran made the catch in right field to end the inning.

Yankees reliever Kirby Yates entered in the sixth inning, left with no runs allowed, and became the bridge to the newly coined term by YES studio analyst Jack Curry, “No Run DMC” in Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller, and Aroldis Chapman, for the three-headed monster lurking in the bullpen.

The Yankee reunion continued in the seventh inning when former ace Chien-Ming Wang entered the game for the Royals to relieve Kennedy.  Wang, the 36 year-old former Yankee ace who won 19 games back to back years in 2006 and 2007, was announced to the Stadium crowd of 35,944 with virtually no reaction.  He surrendered a Castro single, which scored Chase Headley and allowed a bases loaded walk to Brian McCann to make the score 7-3 in favor of New York.

“No Run DMC” never materialized, as Chasen Shreve came on in the ninth, instead of Chapman.  But, Shreve nailed down the game in the non save situation and the Yankees won with the aforementioned score of 7-3.

Next- Friday 7:05pm versus Chicago White Sox

Starting Pitchers- White Sox-LHP Chris Sale 7-0 1.79 ERA

Yankees-   RHP Luis Severino 0-6 6.12 ERA