There are many advantages the Yankees have over the Royals, and the most notable one is their abundance.
Their salaries are about three times that of Kansas City. But what it does give the Yankees is a very top-tier roster. So even if their richest players don’t make it through October, they’ll be playing on a more even field with the Royals.
And in fact, they are currently playing an even field in this Division Series, tied at one game apiece.
In Game 1, the Yankees overcame Gerrit Cole’s poor pitching and Aaron Judge’s consecutive pitchless innings in October. The Royals gave batters plenty of walks, the Yankees’ chorus stood up, and the instant replay review system greatly helped the home team.
Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodon reacts during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals. Jason Zenz writes for the New York Post
But in Game 2, the Yankees asked Carlos Rodon to pitch like a No. 2 starting pitcher, the highest-paid pitcher in the sport, but he didn’t meet his salary or current requirements. The judges had another tough time, but this time so did Juan Soto.
And in this quagmire of free money, the Yankees meekly lost to the Royals 4-2, opening a door that they had never wanted to open.
Home field advantage is gone and the Royals have a huge advantage in starting Seth Lugo in Game 3 against Clark Schmidt on Wednesday night. On Sept. 10, Lugo got off to his best start of 2024 against the Yankees, according to Baseball Reference’s game scores. He pitched seven shutout innings with three hits, no walks, and 10 strikeouts. It was in the Bronx. Wednesday at Kauffman Stadium, where the Yankees will feel not only an opposing crowd that hasn’t seen a playoff game since 2015, but also their first failed October since their last clean sweep in 2009.
AJ Barnett made five starts that postseason and had two crappy starts, but he had three great performances in Game 2 that helped the Yankees win. He helped the Yankees take a two-game lead in the first two innings, and then in the World Series after CC Sabathia and the Yankees. Although he lost Game 1 at home, Barnett made the most important start of his generally unsuccessful Yankees career.
Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge #99 reacts after striking out with two runners on in the first inning. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
I mention Barnett because Rodon reminded me of the left-handed Barnett from the moment the Yankees signed him to a six-year, $162 million free agent contract. That’s great, but there are big questions about whether he can handle New York being overly emotional. Barnett was the type of guy who could put up a dominant effort, but when he looked up at the scoreboard, he had somehow given up five runs in five innings.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the Yankees in the postseason.
Rodon showed that kind of second game. He came out on fire with his fastball and emotion. And was he a marathoner who ran the first five miles like a sprinter? He struck out on 10 pitches in the first inning and was cheered as if he was auditioning for WWE.
He threw first-pitch strikes to the first 10 batters he saw, leading 0-2 on half of them. And he threw one ball to six of the last eight batters he faced, trailing all of them at one point in the count. Leading 2-0 in the fourth inning, Salvador Perez hit his fourth career home run off Rodon.
Yankees outfielder Juan Soto reacts after being flown out in the bottom of the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals. Jason Zens/New York Post
In his next five batters, he showed typical Rodon behavior with three hits, two strikeouts, and one stolen base. He pitched 3/3 innings and finished the game with 7 hits, 7 strikeouts, and 4 runs allowed. He was good enough to be great, but bad enough without perseverance or success.
If the Yankees actually fall behind in this series against Lugo, they will try to salvage their season with a call. Cole may have been hit harder than ever in Game 1, and Rodon will be there in Game 5. Lined up to start.
Although the Yankees lost Game 2, they had five walks in the first five innings, including 15 strikeouts for the Royals, who posted a 5¹/₃ shutout in relief innings after giving up four runs in Game 1. The culprit was Rodon. . But so was crime.
Judge got two on and no outs in the first inning after a second straight scoreless game, giving him a chance to instantly make it seem like the Royals didn’t belong in the same ballpark as the Yankees. Instead, he recorded a strikeout in both games. Judge hit a fly ball against the wall, and the rest were walks and infield hits, but his biggest at-bat ended in a strikeout. He struck out in 33.8 percent of his playoff at-bats, second-most among players with 200 at-bats.
Soto issued a walk but struck out two. Another big-money Yankee, Giancarlo Stanton, slammed an RBI grounder into the glove of shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., giving the Yankees a 1-0 lead in the third inning, but Rodon collapsed in the fourth. But Stanton continues to carry the weight of the Yankees’ recent playoff loss.
And the Yankees’ offense certainly looked like they were pressing — going 2-for-19 on base. Even if one of their big players didn’t hit a home run or two, their offense showed once again that they are hardly a threat.
Now, this division series moves to the Midwest. Will the Yankees’ big star, high-paid player save the season?
