Heroes, zeros and the full inside pitch from the Yankees’ 6-5 win over the Royals in Game 1 of the ALDS on Saturday.
Hero
Alex Verdugo wasn’t even guaranteed a starting spot before the series started, but after Aaron Boone put him in left field and batted him ninth in the lineup, Verdugo responded in the field and at the plate with the go-ahead single in the seventh.
Zero
Kansas City’s bullpen gave up three runs in four innings after Michael Wacha left without retiring a batter in the fifth.
Unsung hero
Clay Holmes, left for dead for much of the second half, got five huge outs after coming in with a runner on base and the game unraveling for the Yankees in the sixth.
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Key stat
2 Hits allowed by the Yankee bullpen across the final four innings, as Tim Hill, Holmes, Tommy Kahnle and Luke Weaver shut down the Royals after a bumpy start by Gerrit Cole.
Quote of the Day
“You can make up for a lot of things in the playoffs.”
— Alex Verdugo
