KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Every batter Kansas City sent up against Carlos Rodón scored, resulting in a nine-run first inning, and Bobby Witt Jr. added a two-run homer to become the first Royals player in the 30-30 club during a 12-5 rout of the New York Yankees that opened their season-ending three-game series Friday night.
Witt reached base three times and drove in three runs, and his homer in the seventh gave him 30 to go with 49 stolen bases. He needs one more steal to join Eric Davis, Barry Bonds and Ronald Acuña Jr. as the only players in the 30-50 club.
All eight batters Rodón (3-8) faced scored, tying the most runs allowed in a start without getting an out since at least 1901. He permitted six hits and two walks before Yankees manager Aaron Boone mercifully pulled him from the game.
The Royals wound up putting their first 10 batters on base — the first nine scored — to set a franchise record.
Jordan Lyles (6-17) took advantage of the immense run support to earn his second straight win. The right-hander got through six shaky innings, allowing five runs on four hits and a walk while striking out four.
Austin Wells hit a three-run homer and finished with four RBIs for the Yankees.
The Royals (55-105) need to sweep the three-game set to avoid equaling the 2005 team that lost 106 times for the most in franchise history. The Yankees (81-79) need to win one of the last two to ensure their 31st consecutive winning season.
The miserable first year of Rodón’s six-year, $162 million contract came to a fitting conclusion. In 35 pitches without recording an out, Rodón allowed four singles, two walks, a double and Edward Oliveras’ no-doubt shot into the New York bullpen.
Not even a visit from Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake could stop the damage.
It was the most batters faced without recording an out by a starter since Steven Matz faced eight for the Mets in 2019, and the 10 consecutive hitters that reached base were the most to start a game against the Yankees since the Cleveland Indians had that many reach against Catfish Hunter and Bob Kammeyer on July 27, 1978.
Rodón began the year on the injured list with a strained forearm and then dealt with a back injury that slowed his return. He didn’t make his Yankees debut until July 7, and then lost four of his first five starts. Not even a reasonably respectable last month for the two-time All-Star could salvage his ERA, which plummeted to 6.85 with Friday night’s effort. New York went 3-11 in his 2023 starts.
The Royals kept rolling against reliever Matt Bowman, too. Their first out scored another run on Witt’s sacrifice fly, and their second was a productive fielder’s choice by Oliveras that moved up the runners. Maikel Garcia and Salvador Perez, who had three RBIs, each had two hits in the first inning, which ended on a questionable called third strike against Nelson Velázquez.
The Yankees trimmed their 10-run deficit in half by the sixth, but Witt’s homer in the seventh put the game away.
ROSTER MOVES
Yankees: RHP Keynan Middleton (shoulder inflammation) was activated from the injured list and RHP Yoendrys Gómez was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Middleton served up Witt’s home run.
WAIT AND SEE
Yankees RHP Frankie Montas (shoulder inflammation) arrived in Kansas City and could pitch before the end of the weekend. He had surgery on his labrum Feb. 21 in Los Angeles, an injury that had limited him after last season’s trade from Oakland to the Yankees. He began a Triple-A rehab assignment on Sept. 17 and pitched two scoreless innings last Saturday.
“He didn’t have to fight his way to get back for the finish,” Boone said. “He’s put himself in a position to be healthy and ready. He is continuing to get after it, right? To be in a position that he is. So we certainly respect that.”
UP NEXT
Yankees RHP Clarke Schmidt (9-9, 4.65 ERA) will start Saturday night. The Royals had not yet decided on their starter.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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