Jeremy Guthrie(photo/MLB)
The New York Yankees put an end to a season- long six-game losing streak by producing plenty of fireworks on Memorial Day.
Chase Headley, Brian McCann and Brett Gardner all homered during an eight-run first inning that set the tone for New York’s 14-1 rout of the Kansas City Royals Monday afternoon.
Headley started the barrage with a two-run homer and McCann and Gardner tacked on three-run shots later in the frame. Stephen Drew added a three-run dinger of his own in the second, while rookie Slade Heathcott later belted his first major league homer to put the finishing touches on only the Yankees’ second win in 12 outings.
“Anything over the plate, they were hitting,” Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer said of the Yankees. “They came ready to play.”
Four of the blasts were served up by Jeremy Guthrie (4-3), walloped for 11 runs and nine hits before being lifted with none out in the second inning.
Headley finished 3-for-4 with three RBI, Gardner had two hits and three runs scored and Heathcott went 2-for-5 while crossing the plate twice.
Nathan Eovaldi (4-1) did his part as well to help New York end its skid, scattering eight hits and permitting just one run over seven sharp innings.
Jarred Dyson knocked in Kansas City’s lone run on a 2-for-2 day at the plate.
The Yankees jumped on Guthrie right out of the gate, as Gardner slugged a double on the righty’s second pitch and Headley deposited the next 430 feet into the seats in right center for a quick 2-0 lead. An Alex Rodriguez single and a walk to Mark Teixeira set up McCann’s blast, a line drive just over the glove of right fielder Paulo Orlando, that made it a five-run advantage.
New York batted around when Heathcott singled after Guthrie hit Didi Gregorius with a pitch. Gardner then golfed a curveball inside the right-field foul line to cap the eight-run outburst.
“Overall, definitely a much-needed good feeling,” Gardner stated.
It was much the same for Guthrie in the second, as McCann walked and Garrett Jones singled in front of Drew’s shot into the second deck in right that finally chased the Kansas City starter.
In contrast, Eovaldi mostly cruised through the first three innings, yielding just one hit until Kendrys Morales and Alex Gordon singled and were left stranded in the fourth.
“I thought he mixed his pitches really effectively,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “When he has his offspeed and he can throw them for strikes, he’s really effective.”
Eovaldi surrendered a double to Alcides Escobar in the fifth, with Dyson getting the Royals on the board shortly afterward on a two-out single.
Gardner walked in the bottom of the fifth and tallied his third run of the day on Headley’s double off Franklin Morales.
Heathcott’s milestone homer came against All-Star closer Greg Holland with Gregorius aboard in the seventh, extending New York’s lead to 14-1.
