Fastball

Former Houston Astros Star Climbs Baseball History as Member of Kansas City Royals

The Kansas City Royals beat the New York Yankees in Game 2 of the ALDS on Monday night as Yuli Gurriel moved up a historic list in playoff history.

Brady Farkas

Kansas City Royals first base Yuli Gurriel (18) hits an RBI single during the sixth inning against the New York Yankees during game one of the ALDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium on Oct 5.
Kansas City Royals first base Yuli Gurriel (18) hits an RBI single during the sixth inning against the New York Yankees during game one of the ALDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium on Oct 5. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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The Kansas City Royals evened up the best-of-five series with the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series on Monday night by winning 4-2 at Yankee Stadium.

The Royals scored all of their runs in the fourth inning, which backed a start from left-hander Cole Ragans. The All-Star went just 4.0 innings, giving up one run on three hits. He walked four and struck out five as he dealt with spotty control.

Four relievers combined to finish out the game, giving up just one more run the rest of the way.

Offensively, Salvador Perez hit his first home run of the postseason and first baseman Yuli Gurriel went 1-for-4.

That hit moved Gurriel up a prestigious list in playoff history, according to Cuban Baseball Insider Francys Romero:

Yuli Gurriel is now ranked 11th all-time for the most hits in postseason history, with 90.

The 40-year-old Gurriel is in his eighth different postseason with the Houston Astros and Royals. He helped the Astros win the World Series in both 2017 and 2022 and is a lifetime .265 postseason hitter.

Gurriel's run in Houston came to an end after the 2023 season and he signed with the Atlanta Braves, who put him in Triple-A. After the Royals suffered an injury to Vinnie Pasquantino in August, the Royals traded for Gurriel, who has been an integral part of the team.

With Kansas City, he hit .241 over 18 games. He had six RBI and offers a veteran presence in the lineup.

Game 3 of the series is Wednesday night.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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