New York Yankees at Kansas City Royals: Final Score & Recap
Line Score
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYY | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 0 |
| KC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 0 |
The Story
The New York Yankees handed the Kansas City Royals an 11-5 defeat on June 12, 2024, at Kauffman Stadium, a game that was effectively decided in the opening inning. The DiamondIQ model had assigned Kansas City a 40 percent pre-game win probability, but that figure collapsed almost immediately as New York plated six runs in the top of the first, leaving the Royals in a hole they never threatened to escape. Kansas City's own early-inning opportunities dissolved without consequence, and the game's win probability swung decisively against the home side from the opening frame onward, ultimately reaching zero percent by the final out.
The biggest probability shifts in the game came not from Yankees offense but from Kansas City's failure to answer. In the bottom of the second, Nick Loftin's strikeout against Cody Poteet carried a negative 8.8 percent win-probability swing for the Royals, the single most consequential play of the contest, as it extinguished a potential threat in the inning where Kansas City most needed to respond. Just before it, Vinnie Pasquantino grounded out to open that same sequence off Poteet, costing the Royals another 8.3 percent in win probability. On the New York side, DJ LeMahieu's groundout in the top of the first paradoxically registered a positive 7.6 percent WPA shift, reflecting how loaded the bases situation was when that run-producing at-bat concluded, followed by Giancarlo Stanton's lineout in the second adding 7.4 percent in the same framing.
Cody Poteet was the game's most impactful individual performer by the DiamondIQ model's estimate, accumulating a remarkable plus-22.0 percent WPA on the mound for New York, neutralizing Kansas City's lineup through critical stretches and preserving the Yankees' advantage. Among position players, Stanton led all batters with a plus-9.7 percent WPA contribution alongside a plus-0.5 RE24, while LeMahieu added plus-7.4 percent WPA. For Kansas City, Salvador Perez was the lone bright spot, posting the Royals' top WPA figure at plus-4.9 percent alongside a plus-2.8 RE24, providing some production amid a largely ineffective offensive effort for the home side.