Royals vs. Yankees: Start Times And Pitching Matchups For ALDS Games 1 and 2
The Kansas City Royals quickly took care of the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Wild Card Series, pulling off a two-game sweep to advance to the ALDS.
Next up for the Royals is a date with the New York Yankees, who went 94-68 during the regular season and locked up the top seed in the AL. Kansas City earned the second Wild Card with a record of 86-76.
The Royals will come into the ALDS red-hot after beating the Orioles, and they'll carry plenty of momentum into the first two games of the series at Yankee Stadium.
The start times and pitching matchups for each of the first two games have been revealed.
The Royals announced on Thursday that Michael Wacha, who was to start Game 3 of the Wild Card Series will get the ball in Game 1 of the ALDS in the Bronx. Game 2 will be started by left-hander and possible Cy Young candidate Cole Ragans, who pitched admirably in the Wild Card Series opener and earned the win.
In Game 1, Wacha will be opposed by last year's Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole. Wacha went 13-8 in 29 starts with a 3.35 ERA this season, while Cole went 8-5 with a 3.41 ERA in 17 starts. The opener will start at 5:38 p.m. Central Time and will air on TBS.
Game 2 will take place on Monday, October 7, with Ragans once again drawing the start for Kansas City. He went 11-9 with a 3.14 ERA in 32 starts during the regular season. Opposing him will be left-hander Carlos Rodon, who won 16 games and posted a 3.96 ERA in his 32 starts this season.
The second game will start at 6:38 p.m. Central Time and will also air on TBS.
More MLB: Cardinals All-Star Flamethrower Named As Fit For Royals In Possible Blockbuster
Curt Bishop is a freelance sports writer who graduated from Maryville University of St. Louis with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the field of Communication and currently writes as a contributor for various platforms covering Major League Baseball. Curt’s work includes covering trade and free agency predictions, as well as rumors and news.