Yankees vs. Royals score: Giancarlo Stanton sends New York to ALCS for fourth time in eight years

The Yankees will face either the Guardians or the Tigers

The New York Yankees defeated the Kansas City Royals 3-1 on Thursday night in ALDS Game 4, thereby winning the best-of-five series by a 3-1 margin and advancing to the AL Championship Series. 

The Yankees will now await the winner of the ALDS between the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers -- the Guardians won Game 4 earlier in the night, forcing a decisive Game 5 for Saturday in Cleveland.

Gerrit Cole, New York's ace, delivered a gem to close out the series. He limited the Royals to one run on six hits and no walks over seven innings of work. Cole struck out four of the 26 batters he faced and required 87 pitches to do it. He generated six swinging strikes, the most of any pitcher who appeared in Game 4.

The Yankees subsequently turned the game over to their bullpen for the eighth and ninth innings. Clay Holmes received the eighth inning and Luke Weaver the ninth. 

Offensively, the Yankees were paced by second baseman Gleyber Torres and designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton. Each recorded a pair of hits and drove in a run. Torres helped New York get out of the gates quickly, notching a hustle double to kick off the game then scoring on a Juan Soto single. Stanton, fresh off a three-hit Game 3, doubled and plated the Yankees' third run on a single. 

The two sides did have a brief benches-clearing spat during the sixth inning, after Maikel Garcia slid late into second base and the Yankees took exception. The situation did not escalate further, however.

Each game of the series was decided by two runs or fewer. The Yankees took Game 1 by a 6-5 final and Game 3 by a 3-2 margin; the Royals, for their part, won Game 2 by a 4-2 mark. In all, the Yankees outscored the Royals by a 14-12 spread. The Royals won't be happy with the outcome, obviously, but it was a highly competitive series that could've easily gone their way with a different break here and there.

The ALCS will begin on Monday, Oct. 14. The Yankees, by virtue of having the best record in the AL during the regular season, will possess home-field advantage in that best-of-seven set. 

[Oct 10, 2024 at 10:45 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Yankees win, advance to ALCS

New York wins 3-1. The Yankees will advance to play for the pennant against the winner of Saturday's Tigers-Guardians contest in Cleveland.

[Oct 10, 2024 at 10:45 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

The Royals are down to their final out.

[Oct 10, 2024 at 10:38 pm ET · Matt Snyder]

Onto the ninth

It'll be Pasquantino, Salvador Perez and Gurriel for the Royals against Luke Weaver.

[Oct 10, 2024 at 10:32 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Ninth inning time. Sam Long on the bump for Kansas City against Anthony Volpe.

[Oct 10, 2024 at 10:23 pm ET · Matt Snyder]

The most likely outcome here is a Yankees win, which means this wouldn't matter, but it's hard to figure that pinch runner. He didn't even steal. Chisholm was in a lefty-lefty matchup. There were two outs. And now Stanton is done for the game. File that away in case the Royals tie the game. 

[Oct 10, 2024 at 10:21 pm ET · Matt Snyder]

An interesting note if the Royals come back: Giancarlo Stanton is out of the game. With two outs, the Yankees have pinch run Duke Ellis for Stanton.

[Oct 10, 2024 at 10:21 pm ET · Matt Snyder]

Yankees looking to tack on 

Aaron Judge walked, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. There are two outs. The count was 3-1 to Giancarlo Stanton and the Royals elected to just intentionally walk him, so runners are at the corners for Jazz Chisholm Jr. and the Royals go to the bullpen to bring in Sam Long. 

[Oct 10, 2024 at 10:08 pm ET · Matt Snyder]

Onto the eighth

Kyle Isbel flies out to the wall in right field. That would've been a game-tying shot and the broadcast has noted that the wind is blowing in from right field. Rough luck for the Royals. It remains 3-1 Yankees.

Gerrit Cole has thrown 87 pitches through seven innings of work. Nearly all the damage against him has been done in either the sixth inning or by Tommy Pham. 

[Oct 10, 2024 at 10:06 pm ET · Matt Snyder]

Pham singles again

With two outs in the seventh, Tommy Pham collects his third hit of the night. 

[Oct 10, 2024 at 9:54 pm ET · Matt Snyder]

Onto the seventh

Sal Perez pops out. The Royals' threat is over. They did get one run. It's 3-1 Yankees through six innings. Gerrit Cole is through six innings on 77 pitches. He had only allowed two hits and zero runs before that inning. He gave up three hits and a run that inning.

[Oct 10, 2024 at 9:51 pm ET · Matt Snyder]

Royals on the board

Vinnie Pasquantino doubles home Witt and it's 3-1 Yankees. 

With Pasquantino in scoring position, this immediately becomes very interesting. 

Gerrit Cole is only at 75 pitches, but this is tenuous now the third time through the order. An interesting decision here regardless. 

The Yankees leave him in and here comes big Salvador Perez. 

[Oct 10, 2024 at 9:49 pm ET · Matt Snyder]

Bobby Witt Jr. singles. The crowd really wants something to happen. Hard to blame them. 

[Oct 10, 2024 at 9:47 pm ET · Matt Snyder]

Benches clear in KC

This seems pretty harmless and unnecessary but maybe the dugouts were itching to come out. The force out at first caused a tag play to be necessary at second. Garcia slid a bit late and there was an interaction with Anthony Volpe that seemed to cause...something? And then Jazz Chisholm Jr. came over and something triggered the benches to clear. Gleyber Torres walked Garcia away. 

The KC crowd chants "Yankees suck," which is an interesting choice while down two games to one in the series and 3-0 in the game, but it sounds cool if you're taking part in it. 

Order is restored. 

This has been something pretty dumb, but ultimately harmless. 

[Oct 10, 2024 at 9:45 pm ET · Matt Snyder]

So much for that rally

The crowd at Kauffman Stadium was loud and then got silent with a double play. And now the benches have cleared for some reason.

[Oct 10, 2024 at 9:43 pm ET · Matt Snyder]

Royals with a good start in the sixth

Maikel Garcia singles to right. They trail 3-0, so baserunners without making outs is the word here, regardless of how they reach.

[Oct 10, 2024 at 9:40 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

And Erceg escapes.

[Oct 10, 2024 at 9:38 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Erceg, typically a shutdown reliever, has experienced some turbulence here. He's now put two on after already allowing a run.

[Oct 10, 2024 at 9:35 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Stanton delivers again

A single up the middle gives the Yankees a 3-0 lead.

[Oct 10, 2024 at 9:34 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Judge advances to third on a Wells ground out to the right side.

[Oct 10, 2024 at 9:32 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

And Judge, who has been mired in a slump, leads off with a double. Yankees trying to add insurance runs.

[Oct 10, 2024 at 9:32 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Erceg, who came in late in the fifth, will begin the sixth. He'll face Judge.

[Oct 10, 2024 at 9:28 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Cole punches out Isbel. Through five, it's 2-0 New York. Yankees are now 12 outs away from the ALCS.

[Oct 10, 2024 at 9:27 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Pham with his second hit of the night. Tying run is coming up against Cole, two outs in the fifth.

[Oct 10, 2024 at 9:26 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Melendez gave that one a ride, but it ends up a long out.

[Oct 10, 2024 at 9:19 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Erceg gets the out. It's 2-0 New York at the halfway point.

[Oct 10, 2024 at 9:16 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

That'll be it for Wacha. 

[Oct 10, 2024 at 9:15 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

And Torres comes through

Yankees now lead 2-0 on a Torres single. New York will continue to have runners on the corners with two down here in the fifth.

[Oct 10, 2024 at 9:15 pm ET · Matt Snyder]

Hello! The Guardians beat the Tigers, 5-4, in Game 4 to force a Game 5. The Yankees and Royals will be pleased to know that if they advance to the ALCS and the Tigers are waiting, Tarik Skubal will have been used in Game 5 of the ALDS. 

[Oct 10, 2024 at 9:14 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Yankees with a first-and-third situation here in the fifth. Two down though, meaning it'll be up to Gleyber Torres to make it count.

[Oct 10, 2024 at 9:08 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Chisholm leading off the fifth here. Still 1-0 Yankees.