Anthony Volpe's two-run single in the ninth lifts the Yankees to a 4-3 win over the Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Anthony Volpe answered Bobby Witt Jr.'s go-ahead homer in the eighth with a two-run single in the ninth for New York, sending the Yankees to a 4-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Monday and extending their winning streak to 12 in the series.

Jake Bird nearly squandered a strong start by Will Warren when he gave up Witt's tiebreaking shot inside the left-field foul pole leading off the eighth inning.

But the Yankees promptly rallied off Lucas Erceg (3-2), starting with Paul Goldschmidt's broken-bat hit and Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s one-out double before Volpe's timely single to left field.

Tim Hill (2-2) earn the win while David Bednar worked around a two-out walk in the ninth to earn his 12th save of the season.

It was Erceg who wound up wasting a strong start by the Royals' Michael Wacha, and an even more effective inning from Daniel Lynch IV, who had set down the top of the New York lineup in the eighth to turn a 3-2 lead over to the Kansas City closer.

Cody Bellinger homered earlier in the game for the Yankees, who have not lost to the Royals since Sept. 10, 2024. That streak includes the past 11 regular-season meetings and the clinching game of the 2024 AL Divisional Series.

After the Yankees jumped to a 2-0 lead on Bellinger's homer and an RBI single by Jose Caballero, the Royals clawed back in the bottom of the second. Salvador Perez, Jac Caglianone and Isaac Collins walked and Michael Massey hit a sacrifice fly to make it 2-1.

That score remained until Perez's tying homer in the sixth. It was his 136th home run at Kauffman Stadium, tying George Brett's stadium record, and it moved the Royals captain to within five of the Hall of Famer's overall club record of 317 homers.

RHP Cam Schlittler (6-2, 1.50 ERA) starts Tuesday night for the Yankees. The Royals are likely to use their bullpen to start the game.

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New York Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger catches a fly ball for the out on Kansas City Royals' Jac Caglianone during the fourth inning of baseball game Monday, May 25, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

New York Yankees' Jose Caballero watches his RBI single during the second inning of baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Monday, May 25, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

New York Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt catches a fly ball for the out on Kansas City Royals' Salvador Perez during the third inning of baseball game Monday, May 25, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas City Royals' Salvador Perez celebrates in the dugout after scoring on a sacrifice fly hit by Michael Massey during the second inning of baseball game against the New York Yankees, Monday, May 25, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

New York Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger, center, runs home to score after hitting a solo home run during the second inning of baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Monday, May 25, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

PUERTO PLATA, Dominican Republic (AP) — Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco was declared criminally responsible for the sexual and psychological abuse of a minor, but he will not serve a sentence for it, a Dominican judge ruled Monday.

Judge José Antonio Núñez, in his decision, considered that Franco had been the victim of extortion and blackmail by the minor's mother, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexually trafficking her daughter.

“It seems contradictory to declare criminal responsibility and at the same time exempt him from punishment. The court has granted Wander Franco a judicial pardon due to the particular circumstances that made him a material victim, but not a legal one,” explained Núñez.

The judge justified the judicial pardon as a “logical and legal reasoning.”

“Thank God for everything,” Franco expressed as he effusively embraced his mother, Nancy Aybar, and other family members who accompanied him in court.

Franco was arrested in January 2024 after being accused of having a four-month relationship with a girl who was 14 at the time and transferring thousands of dollars to her mother to consent to the illegal relationship.

After the ruling, Franco left the courthouse alongside his lawyer, Teodosio Jáquez, and briefly answered reporters’ questions, saying, “I feel calm,” and asking his fans to “continue supporting me and trusting in me.”

Franco also said he personally had not contacted the Rays but that his lawyers surely had.

“We are aware of today’s verdict in the Wander Franco trial and will conclude our investigation at the appropriate time,” Major League Baseball said in a statement.

Franco attorney Jáquez said: “We don’t have the physical sentence in our hands, but he was exempted from punishment because the president of the court established that he was also a victim and because he is exempted from punishment through judicial pardon."

The full sentencing will be June 16.

“When we have the full sentence in hand, we will give you more details," Jáquez said. "He was exempted from punishment and we think that’s fine, but we need to have the sentence in hand.

In November 2021, Franco signed an 11-year, $182 million contract with the Rays, but his career was upended when authorities in the Dominican Republic announced in August 2023 that they were investigating him for an alleged relationship with a minor. Franco was 22 at the time.

Six months after his arrest, Tampa Bay placed him on the restricted list, which cut off the pay he had been receiving while on administrative leave.

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Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, center, leaves court after his trial on charges of sexually abusing a minor in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco leaves court after his trial on charges of sexually abusing a minor in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco gestures in court at the end of his trial on charges of sexually abusing a minor in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco gestures in court during his trial on charges of sexually abusing a minor in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)