On Sunday afternoon, the New York Yankees faced off against the Kansas City Royals in the final game of a three-game series. Despite an early deficit, the Bombers fought their way back, defeating Kansas City 6–4, earning their ninth consecutive win and third consecutive series sweep.
Pitcher Luis Severino earned the start on Sunday, posting an adequate performance, despite giving up three earned runs over 5.0 innings. Severino allowed seven hits and struck out four batters over 93 pitches, showcasing an increased pitch count, indicating he is in good shape 22 games into the season.
Good news and bad news for the Yankees in the win:
The Yankees offense fought hard to secure their ninth consecutive win, specifically Aaron Judge, who launched two home runs in the game, good for three RBIs. Josh Donaldson also contributed an RBI and two walks.
At the bottom of the order, Miguel Andujar and Isiah Kiner-Falefa could combine for three hits on the afternoon over seven at-bats, helping to drive in several runs in the 5th inning.
The Bombers got a lot of help from a few individual offensive performers, and they currently have three starters who have an average of .299 or better in DJ LeMahieu, Judge, and Kiner-Falefa.
The pitching was also stout after Severino’s uneven performance. The final four innings of the game was easily taken care of by the bullpen, who gave up four hits and struck out four batters, blanking Kansas City the rest of the way.
The Yankees didn’t feature any bad performances, but Aaron Hicks struggled to drive in runners in scoring position, striking out twice. Hicks had an opportunity to start off the 5th inning positively but flew out to first base prior to the bottom of the order kicking it into overdrive.
Aaron Boone and his squad host the best record in baseball and are enjoying the longest winning streak in the majors. With a 16–6 record, the Yankees will enjoy a day off on Monday before starting a three game series against the Toronto Blue Jays, who are also at the top of the MLB with a 15–8 record.