Kansas City Royals OFFICIAL GAME NOTES New York Yankees (23-13) @ Kansas City Royals (16-22) Kauffman Stadium - Wednesday, April 17, 2017 Game #39 - Home Game #22 FOX Sports Kansas City (HD) and KCSP Radio (610 Sports) UPCOMING PITCHING PROBABLES Thursday, May 18 vs. New York Yankees: LHP Jordan Montgomery (2-2, 4.19) vs. LHP Danny Duffy (2-3, 3.38), 7:15 p.m., FS 1 (HD) & 610 Sports Friday, May 19 @ Minnesota Twins: RHP Nate Karns (2-2, 4.46) vs. LHP Hector Santiago (4-2, 3.80), 7:10 p.m., FSKC (HD), 610 Sports & ESPN Radio Saturday, May 20 @ Minnesota Twins: TBA vs. TBA, 1:10 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Sunday, May 21 @ Minnesota Twins: RHP Jason Hammel (1-5, 6.20) vs. RHP Phil Hughes (4-2, 5.23), 1:10 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Tonight’s game is being broadcast in Kansas City on KCSP Radio (610 Sports) and the Royals Radio Network with Royals’ Hall of Famer Denny Matthews, Steve Physioc and Steve Stewart, while Don Free controls the dials as the producer/engineer...tonight’s game is being televised in High Definition by FOX Sports Kansas City with Ryan Lefebvre and Rex Hudler...the pre and post-game shows are hosted by Joel Goldberg and Royals’ Hall of Famer Jeff Montgomery. Royals vs. Yankees STREAK HALTED BY LONG BALL--Kansas City had its 4-game winning streak last night as the Bronx The Royals dropped the opener of this 3-game series with the Bombers lived up to their old school moniker by taking a 7-1 decision in the series opener...it was just KC’s Yankees...this series runs through tomorrow and then KC will visit second loss in its last eight games...a 3-run homer by Gary Sanchez in the third and 2-run shot from Chris Yankee Stadium next week for a 4-game set that will wrap-up reg- ular season play between the clubs...Kansas City trails the all-time Carter, was all the Yanks needed to hand Jason Hammel his fifth loss in six decisions as a Royal...all told, series by a 193-286 margin, including 111-128-1 in KC, 100-115 Hammel worked 6.0 innings allowing nine hits and the five runs with one walk and no K’s...meanwhile, in Kauffman Stadium. familiar foe CC Sabathia held the Royals to five hits over his 6.2 innings to run his career record to 20-11 Date Site Score WP LP Att. all-time against Kansas City, ranking second among active pitchers behind only Justin Verlander (22-9)...the 5/16 KC L, 1-7 Sabathia Hammel 30,878 5/17 KC Yankees added single tallies in the seventh and eighth off of Seth Maness and Travis Wood, respectively, while 5/18 KC the Royals finally dented the plate on a Whit Merrifield fielder’s choice with the bases loaded in the ninth. 5/22 @ NY 5/23 @ NY BROADCAST AUCTION--The 2017 Royals Charities/FOX Sports Kansas City Broadcast Auction will 5/24 @ NY take place during tonight’s telecast of the game with the Yankees...among items up for bid during the 5/25 @ NY telecast will be dinner with George Brett, a suite meet & greet with catcher Salvador Perez, a World Series trophy party in the Royals Hall of Fame, a private meet & greet and cake with Lorenzo Cain (he loves cake), a Girls Night Out with Eric Hosmer, a Danny Duffy Bobblehead Night Experience which will included a meet & greet and other items, Pregame Bat Boy for a Day and a road trip to Los Angeles. MINOR HAVING MAJOR IMPACT--Southpaw Mike Minor entered 2017 with 111 big league appearances under his belt, 110 of which were as a starter...after missing all of last year due to shoulder surgery, the 29-year old is being used in a relief role this season and seems to be getting the hang of it...he has not allowed a run in his last five appearances, totaling 8.0 innings, with three hits and 11 K’s...he’s been nearly as superb in his last nine outings, giving up just one earned run in 15.0 frames for a 0.60 ERA, fanning 16 and holding opponents to a .157 average (8-for-51). EXTENDED JOURNEY STARTS FRIDAY--The Royals will end this stretch in which 15 of 19 games will have been played here with a 10-game journey that commences Friday night...the trip begins with a 3-game stop in Minneapolis, where Kansas City has some catching up to do after being swept at Target Field to open the season and then dropping both games of a rain-shortened series here against the Twins...KC will then head to the Bronx for a 4-game series against these Yankees and closeout the journey with a 3-game stop in Cleveland vs. the defending American League champs. DENNY UP FOR ANOTHER HALL--Voting for the 2017 National Radio Hall of Fame is underway with 24 nominations in six categories...among those nominees is none other than our own Denny Matthews, who is up for Longstanding Network/Syndication (20 years or more) with Robin Quivers (Howard Stern Show) and Jim Rome (The Jim Rome Show)...they will be voted on by a panel comprised of nearly 1,000 industry professionals with inductees announced on June 26 and the induction ceremony will be held on Thursday, November 2 at the Museum of Broadcast and Communications in Chicago. ACE 30 REMEMBERING YO--The morning of January 22, 2017 will always be remembered as one of the most tragic days in franchise history when word was received that pitcher Yordano Ventura had his life cut short due to a car accident in his native Dominican Republic...signed as a 17-year old in 2008, the fireballing right-hander compiled a 38-31 during his abbreviated Major League career...among many highlights, “Ace” will be most remembered for blanking the San Francisco Giants over 7.0 innings in Game #6 of the 2014 World Series to force a seventh and deciding game, while pitching with a heavy heart himself due to the untimely passing of his friend Oscar Tavares...to honor the late Ventura, all uniforms in 2017 will be adorned with the ACE 30 patch. TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Michael Pineda (3-2, 3.27) vs. LHP Jason Vargas (5-1, 1.01) 2016 2015 Career 2017 2016 Career Michael Pineda vs. Royals 0-2 1-1 3-5 Major League Record 3-2 (3.27 ERA) 6-12 35-39 Jason Vargas vs. Yankees - 0-1 0-5 Major League Record 5-1 (1.01 ERA) 0-0 72-71 JASON VARGAS makes his eighth start of the season, 204th of his career and his 224th overall appearance...he faces the Yankees for the 10th time in his career, making his ninth start...the 34-year-old lefty is in the final season of a four-year contract he signed with Kansas City on November 22, 2013. ZEROED IN ON ANOTHER WIN--Jason earned his fifth victory of the season and Jason’s 2017 Starts extended his scoreless innings streak to 15.0 innings, with a 6-0 win over the Rays last DATE OPPONENT SCORE IP H R ER HR BB SO TP-K LEFT Thursday at ‘The Trop’...he allowed only four baserunners over 7.0 innings, setting a season- 4/7 at Houston W, 5-1 6.0 6 1 1 0 1 6 93-62 2-1 4/13 Oakland W, 3-1 7.2 4 0 0 0 1 8 98-66 3-0 low with three hits allowed...he retired 13 of the final 14 hitters faced, including the last 10 4/19 San Francisco W, 2-0 7.0 4 0 0 0 0 9 92-61 1-0 after Logan Morrison’s two-out double in the fourth...the start was Jason’s fourth this season 4/24 at Chicago-AL L, 1-12 5.0 7 4 3 1 0 5 96-60 1-4 5/1 Chicago-AL W, 6-1 6.0 5 1 1 0 3 1 96-59 4-1 where he pitched 6.0 scoreless innings or more, tying James Paxton and Ervin Santana for 5/6 Cleveland ND, 1-3 6.0 4 0 0 0 2 6 92-61 1-0 the most in the Majors this year...no other Royals pitcher has done that in the team’s first 34 5/11 at Tampa Bay W, 6-0 7.0 3 0 0 0 1 4 96-63 6-0 2017 Totals 5-1 1.01 44.2 33 6 5 1 8 39 663-432 65.2% contests in franchise history...Vargy’s five wins through KC’s first 34 games are the most Career Totals 72-71 4.07 1266.1 1275 604 572 151 365 844 - - since Jeremy Guthrie won his first five decisions during the 2013 season. ELITE COMPANY--Vargas enters tonight with the top ERA (1.01) in the Major Leagues, having surrendered just five earned runs in 44.2 innings this season...it’s the lowest by an MLB pitcher through games of May 16 (min. 40.0 IP) since 2009, when former Royal Zack Greinke had a 0.60 mark (4 ER in 60.0 IP) in the first eight starts of his Cy Young Award campaign...Jason has only made one start where he’s allowed more than one run, April 24 at Guaranteed Rate Field.