The New York Yankees advanced to the American League Championship Series after beating the Kansas City Royals in the division series a week prior. Juan Soto, Giancarlo Stanton and Luke Weaver delivered exceptional performances, heavily contributing to the team’s 4-1 series win.
In game one, the Yankees took home the 6-5 win to the Bronx. Despite the Royals taking an early lead in the second inning, Gleyber Torres delivered a two-run home run on a fly ball to right field in the bottom of the third to put New York in the lead. In a very close game, the Yankees secured the win in the bottom of the seventh inning with an RBI single from Alex Verdugo.
Luke Weaver has been the go-to closer during the Yankees’ playoff run thus far. His notable performance is definitely one to remember, maintaining a 0.00 ERA during the entire series. Manager Aaron Boone moved pitcher Clay Holmes to the seventh-inning reliever, and that has made all the difference for the Yankees.
In game two, Kansas City managed a 4-2 win against the Yankees in the Bronx. The Yankees were the first on the board with an RBI single from Stanton, allowing Torres to score. At the top of the fourth inning, Royals player Salvador Perez homered on a fly ball to left field to even the score. Despite a home run from Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the bottom of the ninth, the Yankees were unable to secure the victory.
In game three, Stanton showed another exceptional performance to take home the 3-2 win for the Yankees. In the fourth inning, Stanton put the Yankees on the board with an RBI double on a line drive to center field. Later in the fifth inning, Soto hit a sacrifice fly into center field in order for Anthony Volpe to score. Kansas City came back to tie the score 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth with RBIs from Kyle Isbel and Michael Massey. However, in the eighth inning, Stanton homered on a fly ball deep into left-center field to secure the win in Kansas City.
In game four, the Yankees seized a 3-1 to advance to the ALCS. New York controlled the board early on with an RBI single from Soto, allowing Torres to score. Torres also delivered an RBI single at the top of the fifth inning, extending the score to 2-0. Finally, Stanton singled on a ground ball to center field while Judge ran across home plate to increase the lead to 3-0.
The Yankees will continue their playoff run against the Cleveland Guardians at 5:08 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 17.
bkeatin1@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @yankees, Instagram
