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

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

Alex Verdugo, the organization’s choice to start in leftfield rather than uber-popular prospect Jasson Dominguez, delivered a two-out RBI single in the seventh inning to lift the Yankees to a 6-5 win 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 drive in Jazz Chisholm Jr. to snap a 5-5 tie.

Chisholm’s mindset as the ball left Verdugo’s bat? “Nobody’s throwing me out.”

Chisholm led off the seventh 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).

Chisholm said of the Verdugo-Dominguez situation: “We talk all the time, and for him, we understand fans are going to be upset. He didn’t have his best season this year, but this is where he’s going to show you guys that this is his time. This is what he’s made for. Like tonight, this is what he’s made for.”

Verdugo, who said Aaron Boone told him just a couple of days after the season that he would be starting in left even though that decision didn’t come out publicly until Saturday, said: “I mean, mentally, man, I feel like I’m pretty real with myself, as in fans booing me, fans getting on me. I understand it. I was booing myself, too . . . For me, it was just really leaning on my guys in the clubhouse. They all got my back. They all know what kind of player I am and how I played throughout my whole career and just kept telling me, man, don’t let this season or this little glimpse make your whole year. You can make up for a lot of things in the playoffs.”

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.

“It means a lot to me,'' Weaver said after his first postseason appearance. "I just got tired of waiting. I’m here for many reasons, but a reason is to try to win and to try to excel in the playoffs. And first and foremost, just be there, not watching on TV. It’s everything you dream of.”

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

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  Volpe drew a two-out walk to force home a run and give them a 4-3 lead.

"We didn't necessarily sting the ball all over the yard, but man, we had a lot of heavy at-bats, big at-bats,''  Boone said. "Almost really close to really breaking it open. We didn't get a big hit in some certain situations, but I thought our at-bat quality, man, we were tough. Then, obviously, the bullpen coming in and holding the line and Weav finishing it off. Good way to start."

Kansas City came out swinging aggressively against Gerrit Cole, who 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.

"It was a battle back and forth,'' Cole said. ''We played outstanding defense, really. That was the highlight of the night for me. Judge running down the ball in center, Verdugo with the sliding catch to kill the rally and Juan Soto with the perfect throw to get Salvador. That kept us in the ballgame.''

Soto was terrific in his first postseason game as a Yankee,  going 3-for-5 with a double and throwing out Perez at the plate. Gleyber Torres went 1-for-3 with two walks, including a two-run homer 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.

"I made my fair share of mistakes, that's for sure,'' Cole said. "Need to be sharper. But they put a couple really good pitches in play, too, and one was the Melendez homer."

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, Massey fouled out to Verdugo, who made a sliding catch, to end a 30-pitch inning.

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

Torres led off the fifth with a walk and Angel Zerpa allowed a single up the middle by Soto. Aaron Judge walked to load the bases, the highlight of his 0-for-4, three-strikeout night. Wells walked to force home a run and Royals manager Matt Quatraro practically sprinted to the mound to get Zerpa, replacing him with John Schreiber. Giancarlo 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 banged a sinker up the middle for a two-run single that gave Kansas City a 5-4 lead.

Sam Long walked Verdugo to start the bottom half. After Torres struck out, Soto singled and Wells singled to tie it.