Offense puts up pivotal 4-run 4th as Royals silence Rodón

NEW YORK -- Yankees starter Carlos Rodón began Monday night’s game amped up and not afraid to show it, pumping in 96-98 mph fastballs in the zone and broadcasting his energy as he stalked around the mound when he struck out the side in the top of the first inning.

“That’s a lot of energy,” manager Matt Quatraro said he thought at the time.

By the end of Rodón’s outing, the Royals were the ones with the energy, riding a four-run fourth inning to a 4-2 win over the Yankees in Game 2 of the American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium -- while also knocking Rodón out of the game in that crucial inning.

“We stayed with it,” center fielder Garrett Hampson said. “He had some electric stuff, obviously, early. I think we just kind of locked it in. We started getting on time for the fastball. … We just felt the energy kind of shift to our dugout, which was awesome. And then to be able to knock him out in that fourth inning was huge for us.”

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Rodón looked nearly unhittable in the first inning with his fastballs to Maikel Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr. and his sliders to Vinnie Pasquantino.

But Rodón was pounding the zone so much that the Royals made an adjustment to pounce on all those strikes. Michael Massey dumped a first-pitch fastball into right field for the first hit of the night in the second inning. Hampson worked a good at-bat in the third and knocked a single into center field, followed by Maikel Garcia’s first hit in a four-hit night on a first-pitch fastball. The momentum started to swing the Royals’ way.

And then Salvador Perez led off the fourth by jumping all over a 2-0 hanging slider for his first home run of the postseason, a Statcast-projected 402-foot shot to left field. That put the Royals on the board, getting the run that Royals starter Cole Ragans had just allowed in the third right back.

“Salvy is incredible,” Ragans said. “He's built for this. He's been here before. He knows what it takes. He gets us right back into the game. It's fun to watch him do his thing, obviously, throughout the season, but definitely in the postseason.

“This is what he lives for.”

Perez is now 13-for-28 all time against Rodón with four home runs. No other hitter has more than three homers against Rodón (regular season and postseason).

“I wouldn't say I tired out,” Rodón said. “I’ve got to be better with those pitches, just more fine with them and get to better spots, I think.”

The Royals weren’t done, though. In the postseason, teams need their stars to be stars and a little help from less likely places. After Yuli Gurriel singled and went to second on a wild pitch, Tommy Pham brought him home with a go-ahead RBI single.

Pham scored on No. 9 hitter Hampson’s single into left field, marking the center fielder’s third RBI this series after he came through with a pinch-hit single in Game 1. Hampson started just 59 games this season and struggled offensively, slashing .230/.275/.300. But the Royals have used him as their backup center fielder, a defensive replacement and pinch-runner at times throughout 2024. He even helps out warming up the pitcher in between innings if both Perez and backup catcher Freddy Fermin are occupied.

“It speaks to who [Hampson] is as a person,” Quatraro said. “He doesn’t sulk when he’s not playing. And he’s got pride. He’s been working hard this whole time. He hasn’t produced like he would have liked throughout the year, but he’s never once hung his head. He’s just an awesome teammate. He’s a pro.”

Hampson added: “I’ve always said that I just want to be good in my role that I’m given. Everybody in here wants to play every day. They want to start, collect all the attributes, collect the stats. That’s fulfilling as a baseball player. But I think the important thing is playing for your team and really being a good teammate and contributing when your name is called.”

That’s been the case for Hampson, who drew the start Monday against the lefty Rodón instead of left-handed hitter Kyle Isbel, consistent with what Quatraro has done all year. For good measure, Isbel pinch-hit for Hampson in the seventh off righty Clay Holmes and knocked a base hit.

The Royals ended their regular season on a cold offensive streak, but the bats are starting to show some life. And with Witt and Pasquantino being held hitless in this series so far, it’s all the more important for role players to step up.

“If one guy’s not doing it, then someone else is doing it,” Witt said. “... We’re just not hitting the ball great right now. It’s just part of the game. So we’re going to work to get better, get back into a groove, and once me and Vinnie get going, it’s going to be a lot of fun.”