Bellinger powers big win

Cody Bellinger drove the Yankees’ 13-4 win over Kansas City on Saturday with two home runs and five runs batted in at Yankee Stadium. (apnews.com) Bellinger finished 3-for-4 with a walk, and New York improved to 12-9 with its second straight win over the Royals. (mlb.com) (statmuse.com) The Yankees broke the game open with a five-run third inning, then added two runs in the fourth, three in the sixth, two in the seventh and one in the eighth. Ben Rice and Amed Rosario also homered as New York finished with 11 hits and seven walks. (usatoday.com) (mlb.com) Will Warren gave the Yankees seven innings and tied a career high with 11 strikeouts while allowing two runs. Kansas City did not score until the seventh inning and fell to 7-14. (newsday.com) (apnews.com) For Bellinger, the game was an early-season jolt after a quieter start at the plate. Pitcher List’s April 19 recap said he had opened 2026 with “fairly modest offensive production” before the two-homer game. (pitcherlist.com) The Yankees had been playing tighter games before Saturday’s breakout. MLB.com noted that several recent wins had been narrow, including a volatile series against the Angels, before New York’s lineup erupted against Kansas City. (mlb.com) Kansas City came in sliding the other way. The Associated Press described the Royals as struggling, and the loss was their sixth straight as they dropped to four games back in the American League Central. (apnews.com) (espn.com) By Sunday, the Yankees followed the rout with a 7-0 win over the Royals, giving them a three-game sweep before a road series in Boston. Saturday’s game was the loudest swing of that turnaround, and Bellinger was at the center of it. (baseball-reference.com) (statmuse.com)