Heroes, zeros and the full inside pitch from the Yankees’ 6-5 win over the Royals in Game 1 of the ALDS on Saturday. Hero Alex Verdugo wasn’t even guaranteed a starting spot before the series started,

So the Yankees won their playoff opener, a not-particularly-pretty 6-5 decision over the Royals Saturday at Yankee Stadium, on a night when Gerrit Cole was underwhelming and Aaron Judge was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.

The Yankees, several hours before Saturday's Game 1 of the Division Series against the Royals, at last answered the most discussed question — inside and outside of the organization — when it came to their postseason plans.

Clay Holmes, who was demoted from the closer role about a month earlier, recorded five huge outs in the Yankees’ 6-5 win over the Kansas City Royals.

At the trade deadline, it seemed apparent the Yankees needed a closer, with Clay Holmes struggling in the role for over a month. Instead, general manager Brian Cashman went out and acquired Mark Leiter Jr.

Alex Verdugo hit a tiebreaking single in the seventh inning and saved at least one run with a sliding catch along the left-field line, boosting the New York Yankees against the Kansas City Royals 6-5 on Saturday night in their American League Division Series opener.

The New York Yankees came away victorious in Game 1 of their ALDS matchup with the Kansas City Royals. How did they do it? Takeaways from a fun, back-and-forth contest.