Verdugo's go-ahead shot and acrobatic catch gave the Yankees a 6-5 victory over the Royals in the ALDS opener

NEW YORK (AP) — Alex Verdugo hit a tiebreaking single in the seventh inning and saved at least one run with a sliding catch down the left field line, helping the New York Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals 6-5 on Saturday night in their opener of the AL Division Series.

New York's Gleyber Torres and Kansas City's MJ Melendez hit two home runs in a back-and-forth game in which the Royals blew leads of 1-0, 3-2 and 5-4 and the Yankees failed to score 2: 1 to hold 4-3 edges. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first postseason game with five lead changes.

“What a game!” said Yankees manager Aaron Boone.

Kansas City's pitchers matched their season high with eight walks and forced two runs in the fifth inning. The Yankees were just 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position before Verdugo singled off loser Michael Lorenzen.

Verdugo's goal was matched by Jazz Chisholm Jr., who scored a single on a play that was left standing after a video review to secure second place.

“I think we had a really good argument that that should have been overturned,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said.

Boone, in a defense-influenced decision, started a struggling Verdugo with rookie left Jasson Domínguez.

“I feel like I’m pretty honest with myself,” Verdugo said. “Like fans booing me, fans attacking me. I understand it. I booed myself too.”

Verdugo came to the plate going 3-for-25.

“I just let it get a little out of control,” Verdugo said. “For me, it was just that I could really rely on my guys in the clubhouse. They all turned their backs on me. They all know what kind of player I am and how I've played throughout my career and they've always told me, “Man, don't let this season or this little glimpse ruin your whole year.” In the playoffs You can make amends for a lot of things.'”

With the Yankees trailing 3-2, Verdugo made a sliding catch on Michael Massey's fly just inside the line in the fourth inning, leaving two runners stranded. The ball hit the heel of Verdugo's glove and bounced off his chest before he grabbed it with his bare hand.

“Thank God it jumped to the left hand, so everything worked out,” he said.

Chisholm, playing third base for the first time this year after the Yankees acquired him from Miami at the July trade deadline, made three good defensive plays, two with help from first baseman Oswaldo Cabrera, and started on Anthony Rizzo's broken one fingers.

Four Yankees relievers combined to allow just one unearned run over four innings after ace Gerrit Cole left unhappy with his performance. Clay Holmes, who was relieved of his position as closer last month, pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings to earn the win. Luke Weaver got four straight outs for the save in his postseason debut.

Yankees star Aaron Judge went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts, and Royals standout Bobby Witt Jr. went 0 for 5 and barked at plate umpire Adam Hamari after getting a third strikeout in the ninth.

Juan Soto went 3 for 5 and struck out Salvador Perez in the second inning as he tried to score on a single by Melendez to right from second. Kansas City first baseman Yuli Gurriel threw runners against the plate on grounders in the first and fifth.

After an off day between Games 1 and 2, the series between the AL-top-ranked Yankees and the wild-card Royals continues Monday night. These teams met in four playoffs from 1976 to 1980, with the Yankees winning the first three games and being defeated in the final game.

Cole allowed four runs – three earned – and seven hits in five-plus innings. Royals starter Michael Wacha gave up three runs, four hits and three walks in four-plus innings.

Tommy Pham hit a sacrifice fly in the second inning, and Torres gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead in the third inning with a 339-foot home run just over the short porch in right field.

Melendez's two-run home run in the fourth gave Kansas City a 3-2 lead, but the Royals' pitchers issued four seven-pitch walks in the fifth and forced runs on walks from Angel Zerpa to Austin Wells and from John Writer to Anthony Volpe. The Yankees hadn't issued two bases-loaded walks in a postseason game since Bullet Joe Bush and Joe Dugan hit Rosy Ryan of the New York Giants in Game 6 of the 1923 World Series.

“They looked at a lot of pitches. We were close, but not good enough to make them count,” Zerpa said through a translator.

Volpe's throwing error at shortstop set up pinch-hitter Garrett Hampson's two-run single in the sixth inning through a packed infield that gave the Royals a 5-4 lead. Wells tied the score by going 2-for-43 in the bottom half with a two-out RBI single off Lorenzen.

NEXT

New York's Carlos Rodón (16-9, 3.96 ERA) starts Game 2 in the best-of-five series against Cole Ragans (11-9, 3.14) of the Royals in a left-handed matchup.

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