New York Yankees' Lineup Falls Flat in Historic Loss to Kansas City Royals

In Tuesday night's 5-0 loss to the Kansas City Royals, the New York Yankees lineup made history by going a combined 3-for-30 with zero walks and 14 strikeouts.

Sep 10, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo (48) looks back after striking out during the eighth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Royals' pitching staff mowed down the New York Yankees with ease on Tuesday night, burying the Bronx Bombers in historic fashion.

Second baseman Gleyber Torres got a single off Seth Lugo to open the bottom of the first, but Lugo immediately bounced back with a pair of strikeouts and got out of the inning unscathed. Lugo didn't let another New York batter reach base until there were two outs in the bottom of the sixth, when Torres came through with another single.

After catcher Austin Wells added a single in the seventh, Lugo added two more strikeouts to escape the jam and keep the Yankees down 4-0. Kris Bubic relieved Lugo in the eighth, retiring the side with two strikeouts, then John Schreiber did the same to close things out in the ninth.

The Royals won 5-0, while the Yankees posted a stat line never seen before in the franchise's 122 years of existence. New York's batters combined to go 3-for-30, striking out 14 times and not drawing a single walk.

According to Sports References' Katie Sharp, it marked the first game in Yankees history in which the lineup combined for zero walks, zero extra-base hits and 14-plus strikeouts.

This is the first game in Yankees history in which the lineup had:
✅0 walks
✅0 extra-base hits
✅14+ strikeouts

— Katie Sharp (@SharpStats17) September 11, 2024

Every member of New York's starting lineup struck out at least once, with five of the nine striking out multiple times. Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Giancarlo Stanton, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Jasson Domínguez, Anthony Rizzo and Anthony Volpe went 0-for-23 with 12 strikeouts between the seven of them.

Even with the loss, the Yankees held onto the top spot in the AL East by 0.5 games. They are just 4-6 in their last 10 games, though, slowing down instead of hitting their stride with the playoffs fast approaching.

New York and Kansas City are scheduled for close out their series at 7:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday. From there, the Yankees will host their rival Boston Red Sox over the weekend.

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