
NEW YORK — Designated hitter Alex Rodriguez moved past Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig into third place on the all-time RBI list with a three-run home run in the bottom of the third inning and the New York Yankees completed a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals with a 4-2 victory Wednesday afternoon.
Rodriguez entered Wednesday trailing Gehrig for third on the all-time RBI list after reaching 1,992 RBIs with a seventh-inning single in Friday’s loss to the Texas Rangers. Rodriguez drove a 0-1 slider from Chris Young (4-1) over the left field wall that moved him past Gehrig and gave him 1,995 RBIs.
It also was Rodriguez’s 665th home run and 2,880th hit, putting Rodriguez 20 shy of joining Derek Jeter as the only Yankees to reach 3,000 hits. Rodriguez added his 2,881st hit with a single in the seventh and finished the game one behind Barry Bonds, who is well behind Hank Aaron (2,297).
Catcher Brian McCann also hit a solo home run for the Yankees, who won their third in a row after dropping 10 of their previous 11.
Right-hander Michael Pineda (6-2) bounced back from two sub-par outings and allowed one run and six hits over 6 2/3 innings. After getting five strikeouts in his two losses, Pineda fanned eight, issued one walk and threw 72 of 106 pitches for strikes.
Third baseman Mike Moustakas homered for Kansas City, which has lost four straight for the first time since Aug. 28-31. In that stretch the Royals scored 11 runs but in this slide, they have been held to five runs in 36 innings.
Young faced the Yankees for the second time in three starts and allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings.
The Royals took a 1-0 lead with one out in the first when Moustakas drove a 1-2 slider into the right-center field seats for his fifth home run. New York tied it when McCann drove Young’s high fastball into the second deck in right field.
After Rodriguez’s home run, Pineda worked out of trouble in the middle innings.
Pineda put two on in the fourth but retired catcher Salvador Perez on a fly out to center field. In the fifth, the Royals had first and third with one out but Pineda struck out Moustakas and got center fielder Lorenzo Cain to chase a slider out of the strike zone. An inning later, he ended another threat by striking out Perez on a slider with the potential tying run on deck.
Left-hander Justin Wilson kept the tying run on deck by getting the final two outs of the seventh. Dellin Betances struck out two after allowing an unearned run when Cain scored on a throwing error by shortstop Didi Gregorius.
Andrew Miller needed seven pitches in the ninth for his 14th save in as many opportunities.
NOTES: Much of Yankees manager Joe Girardi’s pregame press conference centered on DH Alex Rodriguez being able to score a run from first base during the fifth inning on Tuesday. Rodriguez was back in the lineup Wednesday as opposed to when he missed a game with “heavy legs” following his first triple in three years on May 9. “I think he’s running better when he has to and I commented on that the other day when he beat out a double play ball,” Girardi said. “I think when he needs to there’s more there. I think it’s smart because you worry about guys when they get older.” … Kansas City LHP Danny Duffy (biceps tendinitis) will throw a bullpen session Friday at Wrigley Field. … Both teams had players appearing in rehab games Wednesday as RHP Masahiro Tanaka made his second start for Triple-A Scranton Wilkes Barre and OF Alex Rios was slated to make his third appearance for Triple-A Omaha. … St. John’s basketball coach Chris Mullin threw out the ceremonial first pitch.