(Kansas City) Gerrit Cole pitched like an ace Thursday night and the New York Yankees eliminated the Kansas City Royals with a 3-1 victory.
Cole gave up just one run and six hits in seven innings of work before entrusting the rest of the game to relief.
Clay Holmes was perfect in the eighth inning and Luke Weaver took care of the ninth to confirm the victory for the Yankees. The New York contingent has not allowed a single point in 15 and two-thirds innings since the start of the series.
The Yankees won the series 3-1 to reach the final four of Major League Baseball. The American championship series will begin Monday evening at Yankee Stadium, when the Cleveland Guardians or the Detroit Tigers will be visiting.
“I’m proud of the guys,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. We keep playing and we’re excited about it. »
Juan Soto, Gleyber Torres and Giancarlo Stanton drove in the runs for the Yankees, who advanced to the American Championship Series for the fourth time in eight years.
Royals starter Michael Wacha did not complete the fifth inning, allowing two runs, six hits and a walk. He didn’t get much help from his offense, which had just five points in the last three games of the series.
“In 2023, our season ended here. We didn’t make the playoffs, Yankees power slugger Aaron Judge said. We came together and said this won’t happen again. »
The Royals did not win a home game after September 8, losing nine in a row including the playoffs.
It is still a remarkable turnaround for the Kansas City club, which suffered 106 defeats a year ago before reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2015. With young people like Bobby Witt Jr., there is hope for the Royals.
“I feel really bad for the guys in the locker room,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. They gave everything for seven or eight months this year. They gave every ounce of effort and energy they have. »
The New Yorkers set the tone from the first batters of the game. Torres hit Wacha’s first pitch for a double and Soto followed with a run-scoring single after only the third pitch of the night.
Anthony Volpe kept the pressure on with his single in the fifth inning. With runners at the ends of the diamond, Torres hit a two-out single to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Cole looked better as the rounds went on.
The 2023 American Cy Young Award winner retired the first six opponents he faced. He gave up a single in the third inning before retiring eight straight batters.
Stanton, who had given his team the lead in the eighth inning of the third game, increased the lead to 3-0 following a single in the sixth.
Cole’s night of work ended after he retired Kyle Isbel on a very long flyout at the warning track in the seventh inning. The next generation completed the job.