Yankees dispatch Royals to advance to ALCS

The New York Yankees are moving on to the American League Championship Series after defeating the Kansas City Royals 3-1 in Game 4 of the ALDS.

The Yankees await the winner of Game 5 between the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians on Saturday.

New York will feature in the ALCS for a second time in three seasons. The club was swept by the Houston Astros in 2022.

Game 1 is set for Monday (7:37 p.m. ET) at Yankee Stadium.

Right-hander Gerrit Cole starred for the Yankees, holding the Royals to one run on six hits with four strikeouts across seven innings to earn the win.

"What a series for the boys," Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge said on the field postgame. "What a performance by (Cole) to come out here and do his thing. That's why he's our ace."

Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton capped off an excellent series with a pair of hits and one RBI. The slugger hit .375 with a 1.132 OPS in four games.

The Royals struggled to score in the series, mustering 12 runs in four games with a pair of home runs and a .597 OPS as a team. Star shortstop and MVP candidate Bobby Witt Jr. hit .118 with zero extra-base hits and zero RBIs in the series. Witt, Vinnie Pasquantino, and Salvador Perez combined for just six hits in 49 at-bats over four games.