Jasson Domínguez’s early-season splits were extreme.
Entering a pivotal at-bat in Tuesday night’s sixth inning, the switch-hitting Domínguez was just 1-for-20 against left-handed pitchers, compared to 12-for-30 against righties.
But the biggest blow in the Yankees’ 4-2 win over the Kansas City Royals on Jackie Robinson Day came courtesy of Domínguez – hitting from the right side.
Domínguez’s go-ahead three-run double against left-handed Royals reliever Angel Zerpa capped a four-run rally for the Yankees (10-7), giving Max Fried the support he needed to pick up his first win in the Bronx.
The Yankees were shut down for the first five innings by Royals right-hander Michael Wacha and trailed, 2-0, going into the bottom of the sixth.
Aaron Judge led off that inning with an infield single, but Wacha struck out the next two batters. Wacha suddenly unraveled from there, issuing back-to-back five-pitch walks to Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Anthony Volpe to load the bases.
That spelled the end of Wacha’s day, as Zerpa entered to face lefty-swinging Austin Wells with Domínguez on deck.
Zerpa walked Wells on four pitches, pushing across the Yankees’ first run. Domínguez then ripped a 1-2 fastball down the left-field line, clearing the bases to give the Yankees a 4-2 lead.
That was the third hit of the day for Domínguez, who had singled twice against Wacha as a left-handed batter. The 22-year-old rookie finished 3-for-3 for the second three-hit game of his career, while his three RBI set a new personal best.
Judge’s rally-starting single, meanwhile, marked his second hit in three at-bats against Wacha, whom he entered just 1-for-21 against in his career, including the playoffs.
The Yankees continue to get strong returns from Fried, who improved to 3-0 through four starts after joining them on an eight-year, $218 million contract in the offseason.
Fried limited the Royals (8-10) to two runs over 6.2 innings with seven strikeouts.
The left-hander began the game with back-to-back 1-2-3 innings, but MJ Melendez broke the scoreless tie with a home run to lead off the third. The Royals tacked on another run in that inning when Maikel Garcia reached on a two-out infield single and Bobby Witt Jr. followed with an RBI double.
But Fried, with a fastball he dialed up to 97 mph and an effective curveball, kept Kansas City off the board from there. He elicited 12 swings and misses and now sports a stellar 1.88 ERA.
The Yankees remain undefeated in games started by Fried, who has picked up the win in each of the last three. The previous two wins came on the road.
“He’s a great competitor,” manager Aaron Boone said before the game. “You can tell he really likes to compete, wants the ball, handles everything the right way.”
Luke Weaver hurled 1.1 scoreless innings in relief, while Devin Williams pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to pick up his third save as a Yankee and second in as many nights.
The 4-2 final score was perhaps poetic, considering every player in Tuesday’s game wore #42 in celebration of Jackie Robinson Day.
Tuesday marked the 78th anniversary of Robinson, who wore #42, debuting for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 and becoming the first Black player of MLB’s modern era.
This week’s three-game series is a rematch of last year’s ALDS, which the Yankees won in four games.
The Yankees won Monday’s series opener, 4-1, and will go for the sweep Wednesday night. Right-hander Clarke Schmidt is set to make his season debut in his return from right rotator cuff tendonitis, while left-hander Kris Bubic (2-1, 0.96 ERA) is scheduled to start for Kansas City.