Three games against the lowly Royals, and on each occasion the Yankees scored at least nine runs. When you combine it with their Sunday win, the Yankees have won four straight games.
Tuesday’s game was actually close. The Royals had a 7-4 lead, but a huge five run eighth inning put the Yankees in front. Derek Jeter was the hero of that game because it was his three run shot that put the Yankees in front. Jason Giambi also had a three run homer earlier in the game and Johnny Damon scored twice. Chien-Ming Wang was hit hard (five runs and eight hits in six innings) and Scott Proctor picked up the win with a shutout ninth. Mariano Rivera finished things up in the ninth and earned his first save of the season.
Wednesday’s game was a little cleaner. Gary Sheffield was a monster. He went three for five with a homerun and four RBIs. Derek Jeter scored three times and Johnny Damon and Alex Rodriguez scored twice. Shawn Chacon was beat up but he walked away with the win. He gave up five runs on seven hits in six innings of work.
This afternoon, the Royals hung in the game until the Yankees crushed their hopes with five runs in the eighth inning. This time it was Johnny Damon with four RBIs. Jason Giambi hit his second homerun and scored twice and Gary Sheffield hit his third homerun of the season. Randy Johnson improved to 2-1 and gave up one run on four hits with five strikeouts in five innings. There’s conflicting reports of why he threw only five innings, and they range from a stiff back to just wear and tear.
The Yankees head back out on the road for a three game series against Minnesota. Eleven of the first fourteen games for the Yanks are on the road.
