Yankees 3 - 4 Royals
Final
  for this game

Royals down Yanks for 1st home win of season

May 4, 2012 - 5:31 AM

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Kansas City, MO (Sports Network) - After 10 consecutive home losses to start the year, the Kansas City Royals finally recorded a win at Kauffman Stadium.

Mike Moustakas had two hits, including a solo home run, to go with three runs batted in as the Kansas City Royals edged the New York Yankees, 4-3, in the opener of a three-game set on Thursday.

Moustakas also made a nifty barehanded play on Alex Rodriguez's slow roller down the third-base line to end the ballgame, stranding Derek Jeter at third base.

Danny Duffy (2-2) allowed two runs on six hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings for Kansas City, which has won five of its past seven games.

Prior to the game, New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during batting practice, an injury that could potentially end his illustrious career.

Rivera, 42, injured his knee while attempting to snag a fly ball along the warning track. He leapt at the wall and as he came down, his knee buckled underneath him. He immediately clutched at his knee and was in visible pain.

"I grabbed myself between the grass and the dirt. I couldn't pull my leg up and twisted it (the knee). It's an ACL. Torn actually. Meniscus also," Rivera said.

Rivera, whose 608 saves are the most in MLB history, had to be carted off the field as concerned teammates and coaches looked on.

"I don't know" was his response when asked if he'd be able to pitch again.

"It all depends how the rehab is going to happen," Rivera said. "From there, we'll see."

Jeter had four hits, including his 500th career double, to go with two runs scored for the Yankees, who were 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base.

David Phelps (0-1) took the loss after giving up two runs on six hits in four innings.

The Royals struck first on Moustakas' solo shot to center field in the second inning, but New York got the run back in the third.

Jeter slapped a double down the left-field line and scored two batters later on Mark Teixeira's double into right-center field.

Kansas City, though, regained the advantage after plating one in its half of the third and two in the fifth.

In the third, Eric Hosmer's RBI single gave Kansas City a 2-1 lead.

Two innings later, with the bases loaded, Moustakas brought home Alex Gordon and Hosmer after poking a base hit through the hole on the right side, making it 4-1.

The Yankees, however, pulled within one after tallying a run each on a pair of sacrifice flies in the sixth and seventh frames.

In the sixth, Robinson Cano reached with a one-out single, moved to third on Andruw Jones' base hit and came home when Eduardo Nunez lifted a fly ball to center field.

Jeter reached in the seventh with a single to right field and moved to third on Curtis Granderson's base hit. Teixeira blasted a deep fly ball to center field to plate Jeter, cutting the deficit to 4-3.

Jonathan Broxton came on in the ninth and immediately gave up a single to Jeter before issuing a walk to Granderson. But Teixeira grounded into a double play and Rodriguez's groundout ended the game.

Game Notes

Rivera has five saves and is 1-1 with a 2.16 earned run average in nine games for New York this season...Broxton's save was his fifth of the year.






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