NEW YORK (AP) — Greg Bird homered to begin a two-run rally in the eighth inning as the New York Yankees survived a rough outing by newly acquired reliever Zach Britton and a tumble by CC Sabathia, beating the Kansas City Royals 5-4 Saturday for a split of their day-night doubleheader.
The Royals won the opener 10-5, tagging All-Star ace Luis Severino for six runs in 4 1/3 innings. The doubleheader was caused by a rainout Friday.
Bird opened the eighth with a drive off Brian Flynn (2-2) that made it 4-all. The Yankees went on to load the bases and Aaron Hicks hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly.
Aroldis Chapman, in his first appearance since throwing only three of 19 pitches for strikes last weekend against the Mets, worked around a leadoff single and a walk for his 27th save. He struck out Whit Merrifield to strand runners at the corners.
Britton, traded from Baltimore to New York this week, had thrown a perfect inning Thursday in his Yankees debut. But after he retired the first two batters in the seventh, the Royals loaded the bases against the All-Star reliever on two hits and a walk.
Britton then walked ninth-place batter Drew Butera on four bases, forcing home a run that put Kansas City ahead 4-3 and drawing boos from the crowd.
Two innings earlier, Sabathia fell while fielding a soft grounder. The big lefty landed awkwardly trying to make the play on the first base side of the mound, his right knee hitting the grass and creating a large divot.
Manager Aaron Boone and a trainer quickly came out to check on Sabathia, but he stayed in the game after throwing one warmup pitch. Pitching on 13 days’ rest — because of rainouts and the All-Star break — and for the first time since turning 38 last Saturday, he allowed two runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Salvador Perez homered for the Royals, who traded cornerstone third baseman Mike Moustakas to Milwaukee for outfielder Brett Phillips and right-hander Jorge Lopez late Friday night.
Trying for his major league-leading 15th win, Severino instead was pulled after Lucas Duda’s two-run homer made it 6-0 in the fifth. Rosell Hererra hit an early two-run double, and Perez had a two-run single that set up Duda.
Severino (14-4) allowed eight hits, walked one and struck out five in his shortest start of the year.
The Royals extended a string of rough outings for the 24-year-old anchor of the Yankees rotation. Severino has given up 19 earned runs in 19 1/3 innings over his last four starts.
The Yankees lost in their first game since slugger Aaron Judge sustained a fractured right wrist when he was hit by a pitch from Kansas City’s Jakob Junis on Thursday.
Aided by three double plays, rookie Brad Keller (4-4) went 5 2/3 innings for the win one day after his 23rd birthday.