The Kansas City Royals stepped into the spotlight on Monday night against the New York Yankees.KC didn’t shy away from pressure moments in the series opener at Yankee Stadium. However, one swing and a leaky bullpen proved to be the difference as the Royals fell 10-4.The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Royals (79-66).Catcher Austin Wells hit a three-run home run to give New York the lead in the seventh inning. Wells belted the homer off Royals reliever James McArthur. The Yankees’ win was their 83rd of the year, helping them keep pace with the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East.The Royals, meanwhile, are now 3 1/2 games behind the Cleveland Guardians for first place in the AL Central. KC maintains a 2 1/2-game lead over the Minnesota Twins for the second spot in the AL Wild Card standings.Here are three takeaways from Monday’s game: Royals take advantage of early mistakes The Royals were aggressive in the first inning. Outfielder Tommy Pham hustled down the line to force a hasty throw from Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm.Pham later stole second base and reached third on another error. Perez drove him home with an RBI single and the Royals took a 1-0 lead.In the third inning, Perez powered a four-seam fastball into the left-field seats. He added a bloop single in the fifth inning when Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres failed to catch the baseball.Witt, who was at first for Perez’s bloop, circled the bases and scored the Royals’ third run with a slide at the plate. He never broke stride as third base coach Vance Wilson waved him home.“That was super amazing, scoring from first base on the pop-up behind second base,” Perez said, via Bally Sports Kansas City. “It’s incredible and he is one of the best players in the league right now.”The Royals needed the early runs. They helped set the stage for a late rally, but outfielder Hunter Renfroe recorded what would prove to be KC’s final run with a solo homer in the sixth inning.Perez finished with four hits and three RBIs. It was his first four-hit game of the 2024 season.Royals’ bullpen falters vs. Yankees’ lineup The Royals held a 4-3 lead heading into the final innings.After Renfroe’s homer provided the late advantage, Royals manager Matt Quatraro turned to relievers Sam Long and James McArthur to protect the lead.Long worked 1 1/3 ...
