Yankees lose ALDS Game 2 2024

NEW YORK — The decibel level at Yankee Stadium registered arguably its highest marks of the year early on Monday evening, a sellout crowd turning the Bronx into the city’s most incredible outdoor party after Carlos Rodón struck out the side in an electric first inning.

That energy level peaked too early. Rodón ran out of steam in a four-run fourth inning and the Bombers’ bats struggled to show up. Limited to Giancarlo Stanton’s third-inning RBI single and Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s ninth-inning solo homer by Royals pitching, the Yankees were held down in a 4-2 defeat that knotted the American League Division Series at one game apiece.

Making his second career postseason start and first as a Yankee, Rodón blanked Kansas City through the first three innings but couldn’t hold an advantage provided by Stanton’s single, which ticked off the glove of shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. as Gleyber Torres raced home.

Salvador Perez responded by cracking a game-tying homer to left, his fourth career blast (first in postseason) off Rodón, before Tommy Pham and Garrett Hampson chased Rodón with run-scoring singles. Maikel Garcia greeted Ian Hamilton with an RBI single for the fourth run charged to Rodón, who permitted seven hits, walked none and struck out seven in an odd outing.

After going 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position and leaving 11 men on in their Game 1 victory, the Yanks continued to scuffle in Game 2, beginning with wasting a two-on, none-out chance in the first against Cole Ragans.

They also are waiting for Aaron Judge to deliver a big moment. The Yankees captain went 1-for-3 with a walk in Game 2, an eighth-inning infield single marking his first hit of the ALDS. Dating to 2020, Judge is 9-for-63 (.143) with three homers and 24 strikeouts in his last 16 postseason games.