James Shields gave up three straight hits to start the game and four total hits in the first inning, but escaped by allowing just one run. From that point on, Shields would shut down the Yankees’ bats as the Royals won 3-1 Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium.
Shields allowed one more hit and two more walks over the next six innings and retired the final 13 batters his faced. Tim Collins pitched the eighth and Greg Holland closed out the ninth for his 22nd save.
C.C. Sabathia allowed just one hit and one walk through the first five innings, when David Lough led off the sixth with a home run, his third of the season, to tie the game at 1-1. The Royals grabbed the lead when Billy Butler led off the seventh with a homer off Sabathia. Up to that point, the Yankees’ lefty allowed just three hits and two of them left the park. Sabathia pitched a complete game, but gave up one more run in the eighth when Eric Hosmer’s ground rule double scored Alcides Escobar, who reached on a one-out double.
