Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees praised by MLB fans after ALDS Game 3 win over Royals | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

While the teams split the first two contests, all the momentum went to the Royals, who came into the game having won Game 2 on the road and secured home advantage. The pressure was also on the Yankees, who were seeded No. 1 in the American League and facing championship-or-failure.

It was all the more important to get off to an ideal start, which the guests managed thanks to Stanton's RBI double in the fourth round. When we got a sacrifice fly from Juan Soto in the fifth, it seemed like the Yankees were on cruise control.

But Kansas City fought back with two runs of its own in the bottom half of the fifth thanks to an RBI double by Kyle Isbel and an RBI triple by Michael Massey. The two-out rally forced New York starter Clarke Schmidt out of the game after just 4.2 innings and turned things into a bullpen game as Royals starter Seth Lugo struck out the first five pitches.

All the Yankees bullpen needed was the one run that came from Stanton's eighth-run blast off Kris Bubic.

Clay Holmes and Tommy Kahnle each pitched 1.1 scoreless innings to get the ball closer to Luke Weaver and parry a five-out. It was a big challenge for Weaver, and he avoided a jam with runners on the corners in the eighth by inducing a flyout from Yuli Gurriel.

There would be no such worries in the ninth as Weaver closed the door and brought New York to within one win of the ALCS.