Royals infielder roasts Yankees' Carlos Rodon for premature celebration

Garcia was the only player in the contest with more than two hits, and teammate Garrett Hampson was the only other player with a multi-hit performance.

The Royals' No. 2 and No. 3 batters (shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and power-hitting first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino) combined to go 0-for-9 with six strikeouts. Witt Jr., who's expected to finish as the AL MVP runner-up to Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, is 0-for-10 across the first two games of the best-of-five set.

Rodon needed only 12 pitches to punch out the side in the first and according to ESPN's Jorge Castillo, the southpaw's fastball hit 98 mph.

New York scored first in the bottom of the third, but its 1-0 lead was brief.

After completing three scoreless frames with just 39 pitches under his belt, Rodon surrendered all four Royals runs in the fourth inning before being removed from the contest.

Catcher Salvador Perez started the pivotal stanza by tying the contest with a solo home run (his first playoff homer in nine years). Despite earning his sixth and seventh strikeouts of his outing, Rodon also allowed three singles and uncorked a wild pitch before getting the hook. Garcia had an RBI single after Rodon was taken out, closing his line of 3 2/3 innings with four runs allowed (all earned) on seven hits with seven strikeouts.

Kansas City is back in the playoffs for the first time since the team won the World Series in 2015.

The turnaround from 2023 has been stunning, as the Royals improved their record this season by 30 games. They tied a franchise record by going just 56-106 last year and went 86-76 in 2024.

They upset the Baltimore Orioles in the wild-card round, winning two straight games at Camden Yards to advance.

Now, with home-field advantage shifted to their side, the Royals prepare to host Game 3 against the Yankees on Wednesday.