Jazz Chisholm Jr. comes through in extra innings to lift Yankees to 4-3 win over Royals

Jazz Chisholm Jr. came through in extras as the Yankees gutted out a 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals in 11 innings on Wednesday night in the Bronx.

Here are the takeaways…

– Luis Gil immediately pitched into trouble, allowing a double to Bobby Witt Jr. and two walks to load the bases with one out. The Yankees rookie struck out MJ Melendez before getting Michael Massey to ground out to end the threat.

Gil settled in but left a fastball up in the zone on Massey who launched it 375 feet over the right-field wall to put the Royals up 1-0. That was the only blemish on the right-hander’s line as he got through five innings on 97 pitches (58 strikes), allowing one run on five hits and two walks while striking out five batters.

– The Yankees’ struggles against left-handed starters continued Wednesday against Cole Ragans. The young southpaw mowed through the Yankees lineup across five innings of work and scattering just two hits, but then New York finally got to him in the sixth. After a Gleyber Torres one-out walk, Juan Soto came up and fouled a ball off the top of his foot. The trainers and Aaron Boone looked at him for a minute but Soto stood in.

Two pitches later, on a 2-2 pitch, Soto launched a curveball over the heart of the plate 402 feet into right field to put the Yankees up 2-1. That blast was Soto’s first home run since Sept. 4 and only his second hit over his last five games.

– The Yankees’ offense would threaten in the seventh getting two hitters on with one out when Jose Trevino chopped a grounder to first base. The Yankees catcher was called safe after he avoided Salvador Perez‘s tag. Anthony Volpe, who was on second, turned around third to try and score while Perez wasn’t looking, but the All-Star threw a strike to Royals catcher Freddy Fermin to get the shortstop out.

Volpe stopped at third but then made the turn, which cost him and the Yankees the opportunity to score. The Royals challenged Trevino being safe at first and it was overturned, ending the inning.

– In relief of Gil, Tim Hill pitched a scoreless sixth and Clay Holmes — pitching for the second time since losing his closer’s role — pitched the seventh. Unfortunately, Holmes could not keep the Yankees lead as he allowed the tying run on two hits.

Tommy Kahnle and Jake Cousins pitched a scoreless inning, but Cousins allowed a run in the 10th in his second inning of work before Luke Weaver escaped it. Weaver then pitched a scoreless 11th to give the Yankees a chance and they took advantage.

– Jazz Chisholm, who was 0-for-3 heading into his at-bat, hit an infield single through a drawn-in infield to score Jon Berti from third for the game-winning hit.

– Soto finished 1-for-5 but the blast put him over 100 RBI for the season. He joins Aaron Judge as the first Yankees teammates to have 100 RBI in the same season since 2011 when Robinson Cano (118), Mark Teixeria (111) and Curtis Granderson (119) did it.