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 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 0 |
| KC | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
The Story
The New York Yankees defeated the Kansas City Royals 4-3 at Kauffman Stadium on May 25, 2026, completing a comeback that shifted the DiamondIQ model's win probability from a 36 percent pre-game estimate for Kansas City all the way to zero by the final out. The Yankees scored twice in the second inning to establish an early lead, but the Royals answered with solo home runs from Salvador Perez in the sixth, off Will Warren, and Bobby Witt Jr. in the eighth, off Jake Bird, the latter a swing that added 18.8 percent to Kansas City's win probability and briefly gave the Royals a 3-2 edge heading into the ninth.
The decisive sequence came in the top of the ninth against Lucas Erceg. Jazz Chisholm Jr. opened the rally with a double that shifted win probability by 25.9 percent in New York's favor, and Anthony Volpe followed with a single that swung the model another 39.3 percent toward the Yankees, driving in what proved to be the go-ahead and insurance runs. Volpe finished as the game's top offensive performer by WPA at plus 32.7 percent, while Chisholm posted plus 27.4 percent with a RE24 of plus 1.0, reflecting his direct run-creation impact in the inning. David Bednar then retired Maikel Garcia on a groundout to end the Royals' half of the ninth, a sequence in which Garcia's out actually added 27.0 percent to Kansas City's win probability as the most favorable outcome the model assigned to that plate appearance, though it was not enough to extend the game.
On the mound, Michael Wacha led all pitchers with a WPA of plus 26.8 percent, anchoring a performance that kept the Yankees competitive through the middle innings. Daniel Lynch IV contributed plus 10.6 percent for Kansas City in a losing effort, and Will Warren added plus 3.8 percent for New York despite surrendering the Perez home run in the sixth. The Yankees' clean nine errors on the night against five hits for the Royals reflected New York's defensive efficiency in protecting a late one-run margin.