Yankees 7, Royals 0: Cole Fans 10 in Second Scoreless Start Since TJ Surgery

The lead

May 27, 2026 - Kansas City - Gerrit Cole struck out 10 while pitching into the seventh in his second dominant outing since returning from Tommy John surgery, and the New York Yankees completed a sweep with a 7-0 shutout of the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium, per the Associated Press recap on ABC News.

Cole (1-0) threw 79 pitches over 6⅔ innings, allowing four hits without a walk. New York has won 14 straight over Kansas City.

How the game turned

Paul Goldschmidt singled in the fourth, and Ben Rice tripled off the left-field wall for 1-0. Aaron Judge's sacrifice fly made it 2-0. The Yankees added three runs in the seventh on a walk, Rice's two-run single, and Ryan McMahon's two-run homer in the eighth for 7-0.

The closest Kansas City came was in the third, when Michael Massey doubled and Maikel Garcia singled—but Judge threw Massey out at the plate.

Pitching and matchup notes

Cole has allowed zero earned runs over 12⅔ innings in two starts since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series. His ERA remains 0.00 through two outings in 2026.

AthX Engine graded Cole at 28.66 pitching FP—top on the Wednesday card—and New York at 17 team FP.

Bats that changed the board

Rice drove in three runs. McMahon homered for two RBI. The Yankees won their second sweep of Kansas City this season and 22 of their last 23 series against the Royals, per AP.

AthX Engine fantasy angle

28.66 pitching FP from a 10-strikeout shutout stretch is the AthX Engine ceiling for arms—even when the offense only posts 17 team FP. Daily scoring remains separate from dynamic pricing.

What comes next

The Yankees head to Texas for a weekend series, per AP probables.

*Sources: MLB.com schedule, ABC News, ESPN, AthX Engine scoring. Information only; not financial advice.*