The upstart Royals roll into the Bronx for an American League Division Series matchup with the Yankees.
Kansas City swept Baltimore in the AL Wild Card Round, stifling the Orioles with top-tier pitching. Ace Cole Ragans set the tone with six scoreless innings in Game 1, and the rest of the staff followed suit, combining to allow just one run across 18 innings.
The Royals didn’t score much themselves, with just three total runs, but their star delivered: MVP candidate Bobby Witt Jr. drove in the eventual winning run in Game 1 and Game 2.
Kansas City carries its momentum to Yankee Stadium, where the hulking Yankees await. On the heels of historic regular seasons, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto embark on their first postseason run — and, potentially, their last — together in pinstripes.
New York is hoping to win the pennant for the first time since 2009, with its typical foil — the Astros — now out of the fold. The Royals reached the World Series in each of their past two playoff appearances, in 2014 and 2015.