Kansas City Royals shut out New York Yankees twice in same series for first time since 1972
By Mike Marteny
The Kansas City Royals are likely going to make the playoffs and the New York Yankees are not. No, this is not 1985, though Royals are playing like it is, and their fans are partying like it is.
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The Royals are on the verge of their first playoff berth since their 1985 World Series win after taking two out of three games in the Bronx this weekend. The Royals won 1-0 on Friday, giving them their first ever 1-0 victory over the Yankees in New York.
After dropping Saturday’s matchup 6-2, the Royals won on Sunday 2-0 to complete their first season win over the Yankees since 1999. To make matters worse, the Royals won on Derek Jeter Day with two runs.
All three of the Kansas City runs in their two wins were unearned. That makes it even more bitter for the Yankees, who are now 4.5 games out of the second wild card spot with 21 games remaining. They have an uphill battle to make the playoffs in Derek Jeter’s final season.
The Royals have a 2.5 game lead on Detroit, where they have a crucial three game set with the Tigers starting on Monday. This series could make or break the Royals’ hope for a division championship in 2014. Though they likely will still be in for a wild card slot.
This series also marked the first time that the Royals had shut out the Yankees twice in the same series since June of 1972, when they did it at Kaufmann Stadium. They had not previously accomplished that feat in Yankee Stadium.