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Biggp07 · 02-23-2026, 09:11 AM

👑 Tuesday, June 17 • Game 2 👑

We played from in front and stayed there.

New York Yankees at Kansas City Royals | Kaufmann Stadium
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 72° | Wind: Blowing in from LF, 12 mph | Attendance: 27,844 | First pitch: 7:10 PM CT
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Pregame Memo (Manager's Desk)

As I said last night after the win, today's challenge was maturity. Same opponent, same logo, same temptation to exhale. We don't get to do that. Not in mid-June. Not with the division tightening and our own bullpen lanes still under construction. The message stayed clean: play nine hard, win the first inning, and don’t hand them oxygen. And from the GM chair, this was one of those nights where I wanted our depth to look like a strength—not a patch. Without Witt in the mix, the standard has to stay the same: pressure, extra bases, and crisp defensive innings.

New York Yankees Series Snapshot

New York came in limping—31–37, six straight losses—and that's exactly when a club like that can get dangerous if you let them hang around. Tonight was about doing the professional thing: get the lead early, force their starter off-script, and let our pitching take the game into calmer water.

Series Matchup Board — Game 2

• RHP Brady Singer vs. RHP Clarke Schmidt (then LHP Nestor Cortes)

This one belonged to Singer. He looked like a guy with a slow heartbeat and a clear plan: get ahead, live at the knees, and let the Yankees chase when they fell behind. Final line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K, 91 pitches. That's a stopper's outing. Behind him, Jalen Beeks handled the last six outs with swing-and-miss (4 K) even while the zone wandered a bit (2 BB).
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Game Day Log — Royals vs. Yankees (Game 2)

Inning-by-Inning Beats (Dugout View)

1st (We blitz them—exactly how you’re supposed to):
Schmidt couldn't find the lane. Vinnie walked, Loftin doubled to ignite the inning, and we got aggressive on the bases. Then we kept turning pressure into runs: Pratto reached on a single + OF error, Waters lined a 2-run single, and the inning ended with us up 4–0 before their dugout could settle. That’s how you break a skid on our side—by being the hammer early.

2nd–3rd (Singer sets the tone):
Singer's fastball had life, and his tempo kept them from leaning into comfortable counts. Judge and Volpe were chasing shape; Stanton looked uncomfortable. Three innings in, it felt like we were dictating.

4th (Add-on run, keep the vise tightening):
We cashed another with Vinnie's 2-out double—the kind of tack-on that turns “big inning” into “big game.” 5–0,, and Cortes was still trying to find his footing.

5th (The knockout swing):
This was the moment that ended the suspense. After Renfroe walked and Waters singled, Dillon Dingler crushed a 3-run homer to left. Dugout erupted. That's not just a home run—that's a catcher putting his stamp on a game and turning it into a runway for the bullpen. 8–0 Royals.

6th (They scratch one, Singer answers):
The Yankees finally broke through with traffic: a couple of singles, a few force plays, and Judge’s RBI single to make it 8–1. Singer didn't blink. He limited the inning to one and walked back to the mound still in control.

7th (A little slop, no damage):
We had one defensive hiccup logged (Singer charged a ground ball sequence that turned into an error on the throw), but we erased it with a clean double play behind him. That's “don't let one mistake become an inning” baseball.

8th (Finish with authority):
We didn't coast. Haggerty walked, Garcia doubled to drive him home, and then Vinnie singled to tack on another. That’s the part I liked most: even up big, we kept taking bases and cashing them. 10–1.

9th (Beeks closes the door):
Beeks punched out the side of the frame in pieces—some traffic, but no runs. A clean handshake line.
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Final

Royals 10, Yankees 1
Royals (12 H, 1 E) | Yankees (5 H, 1 E)

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Player of the Game: Brady Singer
Big hit: Dillon Dingler 3-run HR (5th)

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Code:

Kansas City Pitching Scoreline
Pitcher             Dec           IP   H    R   ER   BB    K   HR    PI    ERA
Singer, B.         W (3-2)       7.0   5    1    1    0    7    0    91   4.66
Beeks, J.                        2.0   0    0    0    2    4    0    35   7.65

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Front Office Note / Takeaways

1. That’s the blueprint. Score early, tack on late, and let the starter take the air out of the room. Singer gave us seven innings with zero walks—and that’s the kind of command that keeps a clubhouse steady when the schedule gets heavy.

2. Dingler’s bat is becoming leverage. A catcher who can swing a game open in the 5th changes how I think about lineup construction and rest patterns—especially with the next stretch coming. That wasn’t a “nice bonus.” That was a game-deciding punch.

3. Keep the foot down even when you’re up. The 8th inning add-ons were exactly the “maturity” point from the pregame note. We didn’t play like a team protecting a lead—we played like a team trying to win the night clean.

4. Small reminder from the GM chair: even in a laugher, the little defensive blemishes matter. October baseball punishes slop. Tonight it didn’t—because we were loud enough with the bats and firm enough on the mound—but I’m still writing it down.

Around the League

Proving the old adage that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure: the Pirates acquired LF Harold Ramirez from the Dodgers in exchange for RF Rodolfo Nolasco and RHP Cesar Aquino. In Los Angeles, Brusdar Graterol reportedly suffered a rehab setback for his sore back and is now expected to miss at least another week.

Down in the DSL, it was a track meet: Deuri Castillo went 5-for-7 as the Seattle (DSL) Mariners beat Royals Ventura 16–15—one of those box scores that reads like a football game and still counts the same in the standings.
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👑 FOR THE CROWN — ALWAYS 👑

Kansas City Royals | Regular Season 2025 - Game 69

(OOTP25 Royals Journey — GM/Manager's Dual Log)

02-23-2026, 09:11 AM	#98
Biggp07 Major Leagues Join Date: Sep 2024 Posts: 329	⚾ June 2025 — Game 69: No Doubt Tonight 👑 Tuesday, June 17 • Game 2 👑 We played from in front and stayed there. New York Yankees at Kansas City Royals \| Kaufmann Stadium Weather: Partly Cloudy, 72° \| Wind: Blowing in from LF, 12 mph \| Attendance: 27,844 \| First pitch: 7:10 PM CT ________________________________________ Pregame Memo (Manager's Desk) As I said last night after the win, today's challenge was *maturity. Same opponent, same logo, same temptation to exhale. We don't get to do that. Not in mid-June. Not with the division tightening and our own bullpen lanes still under construction. The message stayed clean: play nine hard, win the first inning, and don’t hand them oxygen. And from the GM chair, this was one of those nights where I wanted our depth to look like a strength—not a patch. Without Witt in the mix, the standard has to stay the same: pressure, extra bases, and crisp defensive innings. New York Yankees Series Snapshot* New York came in limping—*31–37, six straight losses—and that's exactly when a club like that can get dangerous if you let them hang around. Tonight was about doing the professional thing: get the lead early, force their starter off-script, and let our pitching take the game into calmer water. Series Matchup Board — Game 2 • RHP Brady Singer vs. RHP Clarke Schmidt (then LHP Nestor Cortes) This one belonged to Singer. He looked like a guy with a slow heartbeat and a clear plan: get ahead, live at the knees, and let the Yankees chase when they fell behind. Final line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K, 91 pitches. That's a stopper's outing. Behind him, Jalen Beeks* handled the last six outs with swing-and-miss (4 K) even while the zone wandered a bit (2 BB). ________________________________________ Game Day Log — Royals vs. Yankees (Game 2) Inning-by-Inning Beats (Dugout View) 1st (We blitz them—exactly how you’re supposed to): Schmidt couldn't find the lane. Vinnie walked, Loftin doubled to ignite the inning, and we got aggressive on the bases. Then we kept turning pressure into runs: Pratto reached on a single + OF error, Waters lined a 2-run single, and the inning ended with us up 4–0 before their dugout could settle. That’s how you break a skid on our side—by being the hammer early. 2nd–3rd (Singer sets the tone): Singer's fastball had life, and his tempo kept them from leaning into comfortable counts. Judge and Volpe were chasing shape; Stanton looked uncomfortable. Three innings in, it felt like we were dictating. 4th (Add-on run, keep the vise tightening): We cashed another with Vinnie's 2-out double—the kind of tack-on that turns “big inning” into “big game.” 5–0,, and Cortes was still trying to find his footing. 5th (The knockout swing): This was the moment that ended the suspense. After Renfroe walked and Waters singled, Dillon Dingler crushed a 3-run homer to left. Dugout erupted. That's not just a home run—that's a catcher putting his stamp on a game and turning it into a runway for the bullpen. 8–0 Royals. 6th (They scratch one, Singer answers): The Yankees finally broke through with traffic: a couple of singles, a few force plays, and Judge’s RBI single to make it 8–1. Singer didn't blink. He limited the inning to one and walked back to the mound still in control. 7th (A little slop, no damage): We had one defensive hiccup logged (Singer charged a ground ball sequence that turned into an error on the throw), but we erased it with a clean double play behind him. That's “don't let one mistake become an inning” baseball. 8th (Finish with authority): We didn't coast. Haggerty walked, Garcia doubled to drive him home, and then Vinnie singled to tack on another. That’s the part I liked most: even up big, we kept taking bases and cashing them. 10–1. 9th (Beeks closes the door): Beeks punched out the side of the frame in pieces—some traffic, but no runs. A clean handshake line. ________________________________________ Final Royals 10, Yankees 1 Royals (12 H, 1 E) \| Yankees (5 H, 1 E) Player of the Game: Brady Singer Big hit: Dillon Dingler 3-run HR (5th) Code: Kansas City Pitching Scoreline Pitcher Dec IP H R ER BB K HR PI ERA Singer, B. W (3-2) 7.0 5 1 1 0 7 0 91 4.66 Beeks, J. 2.0 0 0 0 2 4 0 35 7.65 ________________________________________ Front Office Note / Takeaways 1. That’s the blueprint. Score early, tack on late, and let the starter take the air out of the room. Singer gave us seven innings with zero walks—and that’s the kind of command that keeps a clubhouse steady when the schedule gets heavy. 2. Dingler’s bat is becoming leverage. A catcher who can swing a game open in the 5th changes how I think about lineup construction and rest patterns—especially with the next stretch coming. That wasn’t a “nice bonus.” That was a game-deciding punch. 3. Keep the foot down even when you’re up. The 8th inning add-ons were exactly the “maturity” point from the pregame note. We didn’t play like a team protecting a lead—we played like a team trying to win the night clean. 4. Small reminder from the GM chair: even in a laugher, the little defensive blemishes matter. October baseball punishes slop. Tonight it didn’t—because we were loud enough with the bats and firm enough on the mound—but I’m still writing it down. Around the League Proving the old adage that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure: the Pirates acquired LF Harold Ramirez from the Dodgers in exchange for RF Rodolfo Nolasco and RHP Cesar Aquino. In Los Angeles, Brusdar Graterol reportedly suffered a rehab setback for his sore back and is now expected to miss at least another week. Down in the DSL, it was a track meet: Deuri Castillo went 5-for-7 as the Seattle (DSL) Mariners beat Royals Ventura 16–15—one of those box scores that reads like a football game and still counts the same in the standings. ________________________________________ 👑 FOR THE CROWN — ALWAYS 👑 Kansas City Royals \| Regular Season 2025 - Game 69 (OOTP25 Royals Journey — GM/Manager's Dual Log)