### Yankees Edge Past Royals in Historic Playoff Game

The New York Yankees triumphed over the Kansas City Royals with a nail-biting 6-5 victory in the opening game of the American League Division Series. This dramatic showdown on Saturday marked a milestone in Major League Baseball history, featuring an astounding five lead changes – a first in postseason play.

The game commenced with Kansas City drawing first blood as Tommy Pham secured a run with a sacrifice fly in the second inning. The Yankees quickly countered in the third inning when Gleyber Torres smashed a two-run homer to nudge New York ahead.

Kansas City responded fiercely, reclaiming the lead with a two-run blast by MJ Melendez. The see-saw battle continued as the Yankees walked twice with the bases loaded in the fifth inning to regain the upper hand. However, the advantage was fleeting as sloppy play and weak contact from New York allowed Kansas City to level the score once again.

A pivotal moment arrived in the seventh inning when Jazz Chisholm stole second, setting the stage for Alex Verdugo's single that brought Chisholm home. This play sealed the final lead change, with the Yankees edging ahead 6-5.

Luke Weaver then clinched the victory for New York with a four-out save, deftly retiring Michael Massey, Bobby Witt, and Vinnie Pasquantino in the ninth inning. Despite his stellar regular-season stats, Aaron Judge struggled, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, and further lowering his postseason average to .206.

Another concern for New York was their subpar performance with runners in scoring position, managing just two hits out of 13 opportunities. Both teams are set to return on Monday for Game 2, which will see Cole Ragans (3.14 ERA) pitching for Kansas City and Carlos Rodon (3.96 ERA) on the mound for New York.