Ryan McMahon’s go-ahead homer gives Yankees late win over Royals
McMahon found his bat at a perfect time as the Yankees picked up a needed win.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 17: Ryan McMahon #19 of the New York Yankees watches his eighth inning two-run home run against the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium on April 17, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images) | Getty Images Even after last year’s trade with the Rockies, we all should’ve known to some degree that Ryan McMahon wasn’t exactly going to be an Alex Rodriguez-type of third baseman at the plate. That being said, his struggles to start 2026 have gone way below what anyone could’ve reasonably hoped for.
He’s even lost a lot of at-bats to Amed Rosario, who was signed specifically just to play against lefties. However on Friday night, McMahon played the hero at the dish, as his go-ahead homer gave the Yankees a 4-2 win over the Royals, and avoided them wasting another good start from Cam Schlittler. The Yankees’ offense was mostly held in check through the first couple innings, but eventually they broke through in the fourth.
With Cody Bellinger on after a single of his dropped in for a hit, Ben Rice took Michael Wacha deep for his sixth homer of the season. View Link The Royals got one of those runs back in the sixth, although you could hardly blame it on Schlittler. With one out, he walked Maikel Garcia but then got Bobby Witt Jr.
to hit a deep fly ball that should have been the second out. However in the windy conditions, Trent Grisham took an awkward route to the ball and then couldn’t fully glove it , as the ball went in and out, allowing Witt to reach safely and Garcia to go to third. That led to Garcia scoring when Vinnie Pasquatino grounded out in the following at-bat.