Seth Lugo shuts down Yankees in Royals victory. Here are 3 takeaways from the game

Kansas City Royals starter Seth Lugo knows how to pitch in New York. The right-handed veteran began his career under the bright lights as a member of the New York Mets.

On Tuesday, Lugo turned in a performance worthy of a Broadway special. He shut down the New York Yankees across seven innings at Yankee Stadium.

“It’s been since I was across the city that I pitched in New York,” Lugo said, via Bally Sports Kansas City. “I would say there was some anticipation to pitch in New York City again.”

The Royals earned a 5-0 victory. Captain Salvador Perez drove in two RBIs and Tommy Pham hit a solo homer to extend the lead.

Lugo picked up his 16th win. He retired 15 of his first 16 batters as the Royals improved to 80-66.

“I’m looking forward to going back and watching that to be honest,” manager Matt Quatraro said, via the Royals. “He must’ve been on the corners all night. He had the breaking ball going to get the swing and miss. He elevated when he needed to. That was a clinic in pitching.”

The Royals remained 3 1/2 games behind the Cleveland Guardians for first place in the American League Central. The Guardians defeated the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night.

In the AL Wild Card race, the Royals sit 2 1/2 games ahead of the Minnesota Twins for the second spot. The Twins defeated the Los Angeles Angels at home.

The Yankees dropped to 83-62. New York is a half-game ahead of the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East.

Here are three takeaways from Tuesday’s game:

Salvador Perez joins exclusive club

Perez continues to write his name in the record books. In the fifth inning, Perez became the third catcher, at age 34 or older, to have 100 or more RBIs in a season.

He joined Carlton Fisk (107 RBIs in 1985) and Terry Steinbach (100 RBIs in 1996) as the only catchers in that category.

“Credit to Salvy,” Quatraro said. “To get another 100-RBI season is just remarkable.”

And Perez did it in a signature way.

Perez hit an RBI single off Yankees starter Marcus Stroman. He drilled a 90.8-mph sinker into center field as teammate Kyle Isbel came in to score.

In the series, Perez has six hits in eight plate appearances. He registered his first four-hit game against the Yankees on Monday night.

Perez now has two seasons of 100 or more RBIs. He last reached the century mark with 121 RBIs during the 2021 campaign.

Seth Lugo stellar in quality start

The Royals are campaigning for both Lugo and fellow starter Cole Ragans to receive Cy Young recognition this season.

On Tuesday, Lugo reminded voters of his 2024 candidacy. He tossed seven scoreless innings against a dynamic Yankees lineup.

“I think it really came down to the game yesterday,” Lugo said. “Tough loss and I really wanted to even the series. I think it was an important win.”

Lugo tossed 77 of 105 pitches for strikes. He allowed three hits and struck out 10 batters during his outing.

Yankees star Aaron Judge struck out two times against Lugo. New Yankees acquisition Jazz Chisholm Jr. also struck out twice.

“That lineup is relentless,” Lugo said. “So you don’t ever get comfortable.”

New York totaled three total bases while Lugo was on the mound. Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres recorded two of the three hits. Catcher Austin Wells added a one-out single in the seventh inning.

Lugo now sports a 2.94 ERA this season. He registered 51 swings and 14 whiffs, per Baseball Savant.

“I was locating all my pitches,” Lugo said. “I don’t think there was a pitch where I didn’t think I could throw where I wanted. It was one of those nights where I had everything working.”

This season, Lugo leads the majors with 193.0 innings pitched. He now has 10 starts of at least seven innings and one or fewer runs allowed.

Tommy Pham launches 2nd homer with Royals

The Royals seemingly have found an answer for the leadoff spot. Pham has stepped into the role and thrived since joining the team.

The veteran outfielder recorded two more hits against the Yankees. In the seventh inning, Pham blasted a solo home run against Yankees reliever Mark Leiter Jr.

Pham has 10 hits in 37 at-bats for the Royals. He’s produced an .816 OPS (on-base plus slugging) while reaching base in front of Bobby Witt Jr. in the lineup.

What’s next on the KC Royals’ schedule:

The Royals look to win the series on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium. KC left-hander Cole Ragans will make his 30th start in the series finale.

Ragans recently became the fifth Royals pitcher to eclipse 200 strikeouts. He is 11-9 with a 3.33 ERA this season.

The Yankees will start right-hander Luis Gil (13-6, 3.24 ERA) on Wednesday.