KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It was the kind of night that showcased the balance the New York Yankees hope to maintain deep into October — their ace Max Fried doing what he does best, Aaron Judge launching tape-measure home runs, and Austin Wells turning the bottom of the order into a wrecking crew.
With a strong seven-inning outing from Fried and a combined eight RBIs from Judge and Wells, the Yankees snapped a brief losing streak and pounded the Kansas City Royals, 10-2, on Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium.
Fresh off losing two of three at home to the Red Sox, the Yankees entered the series opener needing a stabilizer. Fried (9-1) filled that role without hesitation. He tossed seven efficient innings, allowing two runs on six hits while walking none and striking out four. The left-hander lowered his ERA to 1.84 — now fourth-best in the American League — and improved to a perfect 7-0 in games following a Yankees loss this season.
“When you put up 10 runs, it makes my job easier just going out there and trying to get as many outs as I can,” Fried said postgame. “And I’ve got to give credit to Austin — he caught a great game and then took over with the bat too.”
Wells breaks out in big way
While Fried’s consistency and Judge’s power are now familiar to fans, it was Austin Wells who stole the spotlight. The 24-year-old catcher, hitting ninth in the order, delivered a career-best five RBIs with a three-run home run in the fourth and a two-run double in the sixth. He battled through a pair of long at-bats — nine and ten pitches respectively — and delivered loud results both times.
“Incredible,” Judge said. “That three-run homer? What an at-bat. What a game for Wellsy.”
Wells’ big night lifted his season RBI total to 41 through 65 games. That puts him on pace for over 100 RBIs — a significant jump from his 2024 rookie campaign where he tallied 55 in 115 games.
“He catches a lot of games and that’s a grind,” Fried said. “To come through with those kinds of at-bats — it’s impressive.”
Judge sets the tone
Aaron Judge, meanwhile, wasted no time asserting himself. In the top of the first, he turned a 2-1 fastball from Royals lefty Noah Cameron into a thunderous 469-foot two-run homer that landed atop the Royals Hall of Fame building in left field. It was his 24th home run of the season and the third-longest in MLB this year, behind only Mike Trout and Logan O’Hoppe.
“That was evaporated,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s playing in a different league.”
Judge added an RBI single during the Yankees’ five-run sixth inning and finished the night 2-for-5, raising his batting average to .396.
Total Yankees team effort
The Yankees finished with 16 hits, including three from Jasson Domínguez — all from the right side against lefties — and a pair from DJ LeMahieu, who also made a sliding catch in shallow right field. Cody Bellinger added his 1,000th career hit with an RBI single.
The offensive explosion marked the 16th time this season the Yankees have scored five or more runs in a single inning — already surpassing their total from all of 2024.
“This is what these guys are capable of when everyone’s locked in,” Boone said. “When your nine-hitter drives in five and your stars do their thing, you’re going to have nights like this.”
Fried’s mastery continues
The only blemishes on Fried’s line came from a bloop-and-groundout sequence in the second inning and a solo shot by Jonathan India in the sixth. Otherwise, Fried dominated the Royals lineup, retiring 11 straight at one point and needing just eight pitches to finish the seventh.
Fried now leads the majors in wins and continues to provide the kind of reliable excellence the Yankees missed last year. He’s allowed two or fewer runs in 13 of his 14 starts.
“He’s our guy,” Boone said. “You lose a couple, and you know he’s going to come out and settle everything down.”
Chisholm exits early
There was one minor concern for New York. Jazz Chisholm Jr., recently returned from an oblique injury, exited the game in the sixth inning after stealing third base and experiencing tightness in his neck and soreness in his right thumb.
Boone and Chisholm both expect the third baseman back in Wednesday’s lineup, but he’ll be evaluated before the game.
Chisholm’s injury scare aside, it was another encouraging step for a Yankees team that continues to lead the AL East with a 40-25 record, now four games ahead of the second-place Blue Jays.
Royals’ rookie wall caves in before Wells’ blitz
The Royals, meanwhile, fell to 34-33 and have now dropped three straight. Cameron, who entered with a sparkling 0.85 ERA through five career starts, gave up six runs over 5 2/3 innings — all earned — while allowing a pair of homers for the first time in his young career.
He exited with two outs in the sixth after allowing a double to Chisholm and walking LeMahieu. That set the stage for Wells’ two-run double, part of five consecutive hits off Taylor Clarke.
“I’ve played some games here and I haven’t seen a ball come close to landing up there,” Wells said of Judge’s blast. “To be a part of this kind of lineup, top to bottom, it’s just special.”
The Yankees improve to 4-0 against the Royals this season and will look to clinch the series Wednesday night. With their ace in rhythm, their MVP swinging hot, and young contributors like Wells and Domínguez emerging, the Yankees are showing flashes of a team that might be built not just for regular-season success, but for October redemption.
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