The Kansas City Royals walked eight Yankee hitters and fell 6-5 in Game 1 of their American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium in New York City on Saturday. After the Royals took the lead in the second, the teams traded the lead back and forth in each of the next five innings with neither team enjoying a lead of more than one run. Royals starter Michael Wacha lasted 4.0 innings before being pulled in favor of Angel Zerpa but his control faltered and he gave up a hit, a run and two walks without recording an out. M. J. Melendez answered an early homer by the Yankees with a 2-run shot in the 4th to put KC up 3-2 but the Yankees walked in runs in the fifth to take a 4-3 lead.
Pinch hitter Garret Hampson drove in two in the sixth to put the Royals back in front 5-4 before the Yankees tied it in the sixth. Jazz Chisholm scored the winning run in the seventh after stealing second. The replay appeared to show that he was tagged before reaching the bag, but Major League Baseball allowed the call to stand following a Royals challenge. That was the fifth lead change of the night breaking an all-time MLB record for the most lead changes in a postseason game. Michael Lorenzen (0-1) threw 1.1 innings for the Royals giving up an earned run with three strikeouts, but took the loss. Game 2 of the best-of-five series is Monday with first pitch at 6:38 p.m. Pregame coverage begins at 6:00 p.m. on 1400 AM & 96.9 FM KVOE.
