**NEW YORK** — Seth Lugo delivered a stellar performance with 10 strikeouts over seven innings, guiding the Kansas City Royals to a 5-0 victory against the New York Yankees on Tuesday night. Salvador Perez also played a key role, driving in runs with two singles to reach 100 RBIs for the second time in his career.
In his first game back in New York since his tenure with the Mets, Lugo allowed only three singles and no walks, retiring 17 consecutive batters at one point. Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro lauded Lugo’s performance as a “masterclass in pitching.”
Tommy Pham added a home run, and Bobby Witt Jr. contributed an RBI single. Despite the win, the Royals remain 3.5 games behind the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central but hold a 2.5-game lead for the second wild card spot.
The Yankees’ lead in the AL East is now reduced to half a game over the Baltimore Orioles. Yankees manager Aaron Boone described Lugo’s outing as one of the best performances against his team this season. The Royals have improved to 5-13 over their last 18 games and are 2-4 against the Yankees this season.
**TRAINER’S ROOM**
*Royals:* RHP Michael Lorenzen, recovering from a hamstring strain, had a rehab start but could rejoin the majors next week. LHP Will Smith is making progress from back spasms but has not yet fully recovered.
*Yankees:* Manager Aaron Boone is uncertain about the return of infielder DJ LeMahieu this season.
**UP NEXT**
The series finale features All-Star LHP Cole Ragans (11-9, 3.33 ERA) for the Royals against rookie RHP Luis Gil (13-6, 3.24) for the Yankees.
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