KANSAS CITY, Mo. — If baseball found a way to measure how often and how deeply an opponent gets demoralized, the Yankees would lead the league in the stat.
It is not just that they sailed past the Royals again, 11-5, at Kauffman Stadium. And it is not just that they pushed their record to a major league-best 49-21 with their 12th victory in 14 games. And it is not just that they moved to a surreal 17-1 against AL Central clubs this season.
It is that often this season, they rip out hearts before those hearts can begin believing.
Yet again, the Yankees jumped all over Kansas City pitching immediately with a six-run first inning, rendering most of the rest of Wednesday’s proceedings meaningless.
While taking the first three games of a four-game set, the Yankees have scored in each first inning and have totaled 10 runs in those first innings, which has translated to Aaron Boone’s bunch leading after all 27 innings of this series.
“Especially being the visitors, you want to punch first,” said Jose Trevino, who punched a three-run homer that capped off the opening frame.
In all, the Yankees’ 57 first-inning runs this year is the most in baseball. The hyped top three of Anthony Volpe-Juan Soto-Aaron Judge has somehow surpassed expectations. Their opening jab can become a knockout.
Within minutes Wednesday, the Yankees all but ensured they would win a 15th straight game when facing an AL Central opponent.
Against opener Dan Altavilla, Volpe singled up the middle. Soto drew a five-pitch walk. Judge dropped a single into right field.
After a Giancarlo Stanton strikeout, Alex Verdugo drilled a ground ball at and over the glove of first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, ruled a two-run single.
A Gleyber Torres walk led to a pitching change, which led to an Anthony Rizzo sacrifice fly.
The finishing touch of the opening frame came off the bat of Trevino, who lasered the three-run homer to bump up the catcher’s Theoretical Demoralization Added statistic.
“A lot of good things obviously happened in that inning, starting with Volp’,” Boone said. “Just everyone putting together really good at-bats … Great to see them coming out like that.”
It might be the first time they scored six runs in the first inning since Sept. 10, 2022, against the Rays, but it is not the first time they have delivered an opening blow. Their .971 OPS in the first inning is the best in baseball and not by a little: The Diamondbacks entered play Wednesday with an .897 OPS in the initial inning that was No. 2.
“It’s important to throw the first punch,” said Stanton, who threw another punch with a two-run shot in the fifth.
In the first innings this season, Volpe is hitting .327 with an .871 OPS, which is easily the worst among the Yankees’ top-of-the-lineup trio.
Soto is reaching base nearly half the time (.493 on-base percentage) in the first inning. Judge is even better, with a .544 OBP and 1.563 OPS.
“It’s fun to watch,” said Cody Poteet, who was solid in limiting the Royals to two runs in 5 ¹/₃ innings. “When you see that, you just want to go out there and pound the strike zone.”
The Yankees didn’t need much from Poteet, but when his night finally began — after the long, nine-batter top of the first — he did his job.
Filling a rotation spot after Clarke Schmidt went down and before Gerrit Cole returns from injury, Poteet navigated occasional trouble until the sixth, when Bobby Witt Jr. knocked an RBI double.
Poteet walked Pasquantino and was lifted for Ian Hamilton, who allowed one inherited run to score on a sacrifice fly but struck out Nick Loftin to dodge further damage.
Just in case the Royals had a thought of swinging their way back into the contest, the Yankees kept pounding in the middle innings, first with Stanton’s blast and then with Gleyber Torres’ three-run dinger in the seventh inning, which ensured the Yankees reached double digits for a second straight night.
The Royals rallied for three runs against the Yankees bullpen in the seventh inning, six innings after the game essentially had finished.
“Volpe, Soto, Judge, Dugie, Stanton, on and on,” Boone said. “That’s a pretty good way to start off a ballgame.”
