Boone faults himself for leaving in Cole, who gives up go-ahead homer to Muncy in Dodgers' win

NEW YORK (AP) — Gerrit Cole had just walked Mookie Betts leading off the seventh inning with the Yankees leading by one run when Aaron Boone walked slowly to the mound.

After an eight-second conversation, the New York manager left in his ace.

Seven pitches later, Max Muncy drove a hanging slider into the right-field second deck, lifting the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 2-1 victory Friday night in their first game back in the Bronx since winning the first of consecutive World Series titles in 2024.

"On me,” Boone said three times after the game along with three variations of “I probably should grab him there.”

In his 10th major league start since returning in May from Tommy John surgery, Cole took a three-hit shutout with eight strikeouts into the seventh.

New York led on an unearned run against Roki Sasaki in the fourth. Jasson Domínguez doubled, took third when center fielder Andy Pages dropped the ball while picking it up by the warning track and scored on Dalton Rushing’s passed ball.

Cole fell behind Betts 3-0, got a pair of called strikes and missed outside with a fastball. With a pair of left-handed hitters coming up in Muncy and Kyle Tucker, Boone had lefty Brent Headrick warmed up in the bullpen.

When Boone started to the mound, Cole thought he had a chance to remain in the game.

“I figured he was going to give me a conversation,” the 35-year-old right-hander said. “He asked me to get Muncy and I said, `Of course.'”

While some teams rely on pitch counts and formulas, at this stage of Cole's season Boone went with his own evaluation.

“You’re reading body language. You're reading conversation,” Boone explained. “I have a thought in my head going out there, so I’m making the decision as I’m walking out there.”

Cole got ahead 0-2 in the count against Muncy, who then fouled off a changeup. A slider at the top, outside corner was called a ball.

“I was like, dude, it’s so close,” Cole said. “I mean, I feel like under an inch it’s like flip it. You've just got to kind of I guess go with your gut, but at the same time my mindset is I can always make another pitch."

Muncy fouled off a slider, took an outside fastball and drove Cole's 103rd and final pitch 416 feet into the right-field second deck. Cole turned his neck briefly, didn't bother to watch the ball land and slapped his bare hand into his glove.

“I didn’t really give the pitch a chance,” Cole said. “He pulled out a great swing.”

Muncy left Yankee Stadium without speaking with reporters.

“It was a tough decision for Boonie," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Max spoiled some good pitches and then got a pitch in his wheelhouse and put a good swing on it.”

Los Angeles last played in the Bronx in Game 5 of the 2024 Series when Cole had a 5-0 lead. Errors by the 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner and Aaron Judge in center led to five unearned runs in the fifth. Los Angeles went on to win 7-6 and take the title.

On a night with smoke in the air from Canadian wildfires, Los Angeles began the second half by improving to a big league-best 62-36. New York (54-43) dropped to 18-20 without Judge, still sidelined by a fractured rib.

New York’s Trent Grisham was thrown out trying to score from first on Ben Rice’s eighth-inning double off the right-center field wall.

Pages picked up the ball on a bounce, wheeled and made a throw to Betts that tailed. With his back to the plate, the shortstop moved to his left to catch it and threw across his body.

Rushing caught the relay about 5 feet up the first-base line, swiped his mitt across the plate and tagged the left leg of a sliding Grisham.

"We gave one away I thought early with the defense and to make a play like that defensively was big,” Roberts said.

Boone didn't fault third base coach Luis Rojas for the send. Grisham, who returned July 3 from a strained right hamstring, didn't run hard off the bat and then sped up.

“I’m conscious of my hammy. I’m coming back from it,” Grisham said.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Los Angeles Dodgers' Max Muncy (13) celebrates after his two-run home run with Mookie Betts (50) during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Friday, July 17, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Max Muncy watches his two-run home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Friday, July 17, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole, right, reacts after giving up a two-run home run to Los Angeles Dodgers' Max Muncy during the seventh inning of a baseball game Friday, July 17, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole reacts while walking to the dugout after giving up a two-run home run to Los Angeles Dodgers' Max Muncy during the seventh inning of a baseball game Friday, July 17, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone, second left, confers with Gerrit Cole during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Friday, July 17, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Carter Jensen hit a two-run single to cap a four-run rally in the 10th inning that gave the Kansas City Royals a 7-6 victory over the San Diego Padres on Friday night.

Lane Thomas homered early for the last-place Royals, who stopped a five-game losing streak. Jensen and Michael Massey each had three of Kansas City's 13 hits.

Ty France launched a solo homer for the Padres with two outs in the ninth, tying the score at 3.

The Royals had an excellent opportunity to win in the bottom half, when Jensen's double helped them load the bases with nobody out against Mason Miller. But the All-Star closer struck out the next three batters, sending the game to extra innings.

San Diego took a 6-3 lead in the top of the 10th on Miguel Andujar's RBI double, Fernando Tatis Jr.'s run-scoring single and Xander Bogaerts' sacrifice fly.

It was the third double of the night for Andujar. Tatis also finished with three hits.

Lucas Erceg (4-3) retired Manny Machado with Tatis on third to end the inning, and the Royals responded with four hits off Kyle Hart (0-2) in the bottom of the 10th.

Salvador Perez's leadoff single sent automatic runner Vinnie Pasquantino from second to third. Pasquantino scored on Massey's infield single, and Nick Loftin's bunt single loaded the bases with nobody out.

A run-scoring groundout by Isaac Collins cut it to 6-5 and left runners at second and third. Jensen then bounced a single into left field for his first career game-ending hit, giving the Royals their first walk-off win since May 8.

Leading off the second, Thomas opened the scoring with a 445-foot drive into the left-field fountains. It was the first home run allowed by Padres starter Michael King since June 10.

An error by Massey at second base helped the Padres score twice for a 2-1 lead in the fifth. Massey’s first error since Sept. 18, 2025, ended his streak of 81 games without one.

The Royals tied it in the sixth on Bogaerts’ throwing error from shortstop and regained the lead in the eighth on Massey’s two-out single.

Kansas City turned three double plays to help starter Seth Lugo escape jams. In six innings, Lugo permitted two runs — one earned — and four hits.

King yielded one run and four hits in five innings.

Padres RHP Griffin Canning (1-7, 6.47 ERA) pitches Saturday. Kansas City had not announced a scheduled starter.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King throws during the first inning of a baseball game, Friday, July 17, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas City Royals' Lane Thomas celebrates with third base coach Vance Wilson (17) after hitting a solo home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Friday, July 17, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas City Royals' Tyler Tolbert is tagged out at home by San Diego Padres catcher Luis Campusano as he tried to score on a fielder's choice hit into by Kansas City Royals' Vinnie Pasquantino during the eighth inning of a baseball game Friday, July 17, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas City Royals' Carter Jensen is doused by teammates after their baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Friday, July 17, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas City Royals' Carter Jensen with commentator Joel Goldberg are doused by teammates after their baseball game, Friday, July 17, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)