Gerrit Cole is in control as the New York Yankees clinch the ALCS spot with a win over the Kansas City Royals

CNN
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The New York Yankees secured a spot in the American League Championship Series (ALCS) with a 3-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday evening and won the American League Division Series (ALDS) by the same result.

Starter Gerrit Cole was the game's dominant force, allowing just one run and six hits and recording four strikeouts in seven innings.

“We’re thrilled,” the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner said after the celebrations, according to MLB.com. “I had a few IPAs with the boys and popped some champagne. That’s the biggest thing.”

The Yankees' bullpen also impressed once again: Clay Holmes and Luke Weaver each pitched an inning and retired the team without much effort.

With the win, New York advances to the 19th Championship Series in its history, four times more than any other franchise. The Los Angeles Dodgers are the Bronx Bombers are the closest rivals in this regard and can cut the gap to three with a win over the San Diego Padres on Friday night.

The win also means the Yankees won their fourth ALCS on the road in eight years after winning 50 road games during the regular season, the most since 2003.

Kansas City has now lost its last nine games at Kauffman Stadium.

Any hopes the Royals had of taking the series to Game 5 were immediately dashed when the Yankees scored after just three pitches. Gleyber Torres hit a double off the first pitch of the game before Juan Soto led him in with a single.

RBI singles by Torres and Giancarlo Stanton in the fifth and sixth gave New York a 3-0 lead, and the Royals began to show their frustration when Maikel Garcia – too strong, according to Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe – in a try moved to second to avoid a double play.

Both benches were cleared and the referees had to separate the teams, but the home crowd was suddenly in motion and the team responded: An RBI double by Vinnie Pasquantino finally put Kansas City on the board.

In the seventh round the Royals were only a few meters away from the tie. With Tommy Pham on base, Kyle Isbel sent a fly ball to right field, but Soto caught it down the stretch, spoiling the party.

The closest Kansas City came was when Aaron Judge recorded the final out in the ninth and New York broke through.

“In 2023, our season here ended, you know? We didn’t make the postseason,” Judge said, according to the AP. “I remember a lot of these guys looking on the field, and you know, we all kind of came together and said, 'This isn't going to happen again.'”

The Yankees now return home to face either the Cleveland Guardians or Detroit Tigers in the best-of-seven ALCS starting Monday night.