Yankees edge Royals in ALDS Game 1 as Alex Verdugo provides deciding hit

The player least popular among Yankees fans entering this postseason allowed that hard-to-please collective to party deep into Saturday night.

And likely into Sunday morning.

Alex Verdugo, the organization's choice to start in leftfield rather than uber-popular prospect Jasson Dominguez, delivered a clutch two-out RBI single in the seventh inning to lift the Yankees to a 6-5 victory over the Royals in a back-and-forth Game 1 of their American League Division Series in front of a charged-up sellout Stadium crowd of 48,790 that rarely sat down.

Verdugo, chosen to start because he’s a far better defender than Dominguez, made several good plays in the field in addition to going 2-for-3 with a walk. He slashed a 0-and-1 cutter to left off Michael Lorenzen to bring in Jazz Chisholm Jr. to snap a 5-5 tie.

Chisholm led off the inning with a single and stole second with one out, barely beating the throw of Salvador Perez (the Royals challenged the safe call, and it appeared Chisholm — who made a pop-up slide — might have been tagged before getting to the bag, but the call stood).

Tommy Kahnle retired the first two batters in the eighth before walking Garrett Hampton. Luke Weaver struck out Maikel Garcia, then struck out Michael Massey and Bobby Witt Jr. to start a perfect ninth.

Deposed closer Clay Holmes pitched well, retiring five of six batters in the sixth and seventh innings after the Royals took a 5-4 lead in the sixth, helped by a key throwing error by Anthony Volpe. The Yankees tied it at 5-5 in the bottom of the sixth on a two-out RBI single by Austin Wells.

It was that kind of seesaw game, one in which the upstart Royals didn’t curl up in a corner the way most AL Central teams — the Twins especially — have over the years at the sight of pinstripes in October.

The Yankees had nine hits and eight walks but went 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11. They had runners on second and third with none out in the first but didn't score, and with a run home, the bases loaded and none out in the fifth, they were in danger of not tacking on until Anthony Volpe drew a two-out walk to force home a run and give them a 4-3 lead. 

Kansas City came out swinging aggressively against Gerrit Cole, who  generally has excelled  in the postseason but was not at his best Saturday night. He was charged with four runs (three earned) and allowed seven hits and two walks in five innings-plus. 

Royals righty Michael Wacha allowed three runs and four hits in four innings in which he walked three and struck out three.

Juan Soto, a free agent after the season who was playing in his first postseason game as a Yankee, was terrific, going 3-for-5 with a double. The rightfielder also threw out Perez at the plate. Gleyber Torres went 1-for-3 with two walks, including a two-run homer off Wacha in the third that gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead.

The Royals came right back after Torres' homer. Yuli Gurriel walked after an 11-pitch plate appearance and MJ Melendez sent a fastball into the first row of seats in rightfield for a  two-run homer that made it 3-2.

Cole was fortunate to keep the damage there as Tommy Pham followed the home run with a single and Garcia singled with two outs. With Holmes warming, leadoff man Michael Massey fouled out to Verdugo, who made a sliding catch, to end a 30-pitch inning that left Cole at 63 pitches through four.

“No chance Dominguez catches that ball,” one rival AL scout, unprompted, texted Newsday about a minute later.

The Yankees retook the lead in the fifth. Torres led off with a walk and overmatched lefty Angel Zerpa allowed a single  up the middle to Soto. Aaron Judge walked to load the bases, the highlight of his 0-for-4, three-strikeout night at the plate. Wells walked to force home a run and Royals manager Matt Quatraro practically sprinted to the mound to get Zerpa, replacing him with righty John Schreiber. Stanton fouled out and Chisholm grounded into a 3-2 force before Volpe walked to make it 4-3.

Gurriel led off the sixth with a single and Aaron Boone brought in lefty Tim Hill, who got Melendez to fly to left. When Pham grounded one into the hole at short, Volpe made a nice sliding stop but misfired badly when he tried to get the force at second, with his throwing error putting runners at second and third. With the infield in, Hampton, pinch hitting for Kyle Isbel, banged a 2-and-0 sinker back up the middle for a two-run single that gave Kansas City a 5-4 lead.

Lefty Sam Long walked Verdugo to start the bottom half. After Torres struck out, Soto singled and Lorenzen came on for Judge. Judge fell behind 0-and-2, striking out on a 1-and-2 changeup in the dirt, but Wells came through with his tying single.