Coming into this game, Michael Pineda's ERA in the first inning was 12.00. He did not lower it tonight, in fact, he raised it. Pineda allowed four runs in the first inning, immediately putting the Yankees in a hole. The Royals would tack on more runs, and the offense only managed three themselves, dooming the Yankees to a 7-3 loss.
Despite coming off his best outing of the year in the previous game, bad Pineda reappeared quickly in this game. Alcides Escobar singled to lead off the inning. However, he was thrown out trying to steal second by Brian McCann.