NEW YORK (AP) — Cole Ragans started his AL Division Series with a walk in the park.
On Sunday, the Royals left-hander took a 11-minute stroll from the team's hotel in midtown Manhattan and played catch in Central Park on the Heckscher Ballfields, just as so many amateur baseball and softball players do each day.
On Monday, he was an 8-mile drive away on the mound at Yankee Stadium and allowed one run over four innings in Kansas City's 4-2 win over the New York Yankees that evened their AL Division Series at one game apiece.
“Just found a little grass patch there in the middle of Central Park, and me and Sam Long played a little catch there for a little bit,” Ragans said of his teammate. “It was pretty cool.”
Like so many Heckscher hurlers, Ragans had command problems. He needed 87 pitches to get 12 outs against the Yankees, walking three of four leadoff hitters and going to full counts on five of his first 10. He fanned Aaron Judge on a fastball with two on in the first and fellow slugger Juan Soto with a runner on in the third.
“Control was a little erratic,” Ragans said. “Felt like I made pitches when I had to make a pitch.”
The run he gave up came on Giancarlo Stanton's third-inning RBI single that deflected off the glove of shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and into left field. Ragans struck out five and walked four — among 13 free passes Royals pitchers have issued in two playoff games against the Yankees. He threw 24 pitches in both the first and second inning.
Mostly a reliever with Texas last year, Ragans was traded to Kansas City in late June as part of a deal for Aroldis Chapman. The Royals immediately converted him back to a starter, and he went 5-2 with a 2.64 ERA in 12 outings for them.
“We didn’t know how good Cole was going to be when we acquired him, but it was apparent the end of September he was going to be in our rotation,” general manager J.J. Picollo said.
A 26-year-old first-time All-Star, Ragans went 11-9 with a 3.14 ERA in 32 starts this season, striking out 223 in 186 1/3 innings. Then he pitched six innings of four-hit ball to beat Baltimore 1-0 in last week's Wild Card Series opener before leaving with leg cramps.
Royals manager Matt Quatraro was pleased with Ragans’ warmup session in the 843-acre urban oasis designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux.
“We encouraged it,” Quatraro said at Yankee Stadium. “We said if we’re not coming in here to work out, if anybody needs to work out, that’s what we’re going to do.”
Ragans got to Central Park about 11 a.m. He threw from 75 feet for around 5-10 minutes.
“Nobody recognized us,” he said. “We just got our stuff done and went back to the hotel.”
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Kansas City Royals pitcher Cole Ragans delivers against the New York Yankees during the first inning of Game 2 of the American League baseball playoff series, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Kansas City Royals pitcher Cole Ragans delivers against the New York Yankees during the first inning of Game 2 of the American League baseball playoff series, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Kansas City Royals pitcher Cole Ragans delivers against the New York Yankees during the first inning of Game 2 of the American League baseball playoff series, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Kansas City Royals pitcher Cole Ragans delivers against the New York Yankees during the first inning of Game 2 of the American League baseball playoff series, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for a bunch of yards. Travis Kelce caught a whole lot of his passes. And Kareem Hunt plowed into the end zone once again, sending a torrent of red fireworks flying over Arrowhead Stadium on Monday night.
It might as well have been six years ago, the last time that trio of Chiefs played in a home game together.
But with injuries having ravaged their offense, the Chiefs were forced to lean on two of their stalwarts and the return of their erstwhile star running back to beat the Saints, 26-13. Mahomes finished with 331 yards through the air, Kelce had a game-high nine catches for 70 yards, and Hunt ran 27 times for 102 yards and a touchdown.
“It was a great feeling to get back in the end zone. I missed it very much,” said Hunt, who only returned to the Chiefs a couple of weeks ago, after an injury to starter Isiah Pacheco. “That's why I threw up a heart. To show my love for Kansas City.”
There was a lot of love flowing inside Arrowhead Stadium.
Just as the Chiefs were moving to 5-0 behind another defensive gem, the Royals were beating the Yankees in Game 2 of their AL Division Series in New York. There were frequent chants of “Let's go Royals!” throughout the game, and when the Royals finished off a 4-2 victory to send the series back to Kansas City tied at a game apiece, a roar ripped through Arrowhead.
“There was kind of a lull there toward the end of the game, and I was like, ‘They’re not showing the score. The Yankees came back,'” said Mahomes, who owns a part of the Royals. “But they picked it up and got the win, and it was extremely exciting.”
The Chiefs held Saints quarterback Derek Carr to 185 yards passing with two touchdowns and an interception before leaving with an oblique injury. It occurred with about 9 1/2 minutes left, when Carr was hit by blitzing defensive back Chamarri Conner on a fourth-down incompletion as he tried to rally New Orleans from a 23-13 deficit.
“I couldn’t do what I needed to do in the simplest form," said Carr, who plans to get an MRI exam on Tuesday.
The Saints' Alvin Kamara managed 26 yards rushing on 11 carries, becoming the latest high-profile running back to struggle against the Chiefs. They held the Ravens' Derrick Henry to 46 yards rushing, Zack Moss of the Bengals to 34, Falcons star Bijan Robinson to 31 and J.K. Dobbins to 32 in last week's win over the Chargers.
“We got outplayed,” Saints coach Dennis Allen said. "We really couldn't get a whole lot going on either side of the ball.”
The first half Monday night featured a bit of everything: Hunt's first TD since returning to Kansas City, where his once-promising career was derailed by an off-the-field incident; a 43-yard touchdown pass from Carr to Rashid Shaheed, the shortest of the three Shaheed has caught this season; and yet another lateral by Kelce, which came on the most bizarre of drives.
The Chiefs were leading 10-7 when a fumbled pitch and a holding penalty left them facing second-and-34. They got some of it back on a pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster, and then Mahomes hit Kelce over the middle. Kelce lateraled to Samaje Perine, who got within a yard of a first down, and Kansas City converted the fourth-and-short play to set up an eventual field goal.
It was exactly that — field goals — that kept New Orleans in the game, though. The Chiefs have struggled to score TDs in the red zone all season, and they were forced to let Harrison Butker kick a trio of chip shots to lead 16-7 at the break.
Their red-zone woes continued in the third quarter. On second-and-goal, Smith-Schuster had a pass bounce off his hands at the goal line and into the arms of 324-pound former Chiefs defensive tackle Khalen Saunders, who made his first career interception.
The Saints promptly marched 65 yards with Foster Moreau's TD catch getting them within 16-13 with 14:16 to play.
But unlike every other game for the Chiefs, which had been decided in the final minutes — if not the final play — they answered the blow by delivering one of their own. Smith-Schuster hauled in a 50-yard pass moments later, and Xavier Worthy took a handoff on first-and-goal at the 3 for a touchdown that extended their cushion early in the fourth quarter.
After the Chiefs stopped the Saints on fourth down, they tacked on another field goal with 3:03 left to put away the game.
"It’s pretty cool to get the band back together,” said Smith-Schuster, who is also back with the Chiefs after a couple of years spent in New England. “Man, I’m telling you, there is no place like this. What we have here is special. It’s unreal.”
Taylor Swift was back at Arrowhead Stadium to see Kelce and the Chiefs after missing her boyfriend's previous two road games. She resumes her record-setting Eras Tour on Friday night with the first of three shows in Miami.
Saints: CB Will Harris hurt his hamstring in the first half. C Lucas Patrick left briefly in the third quarter with a collarbone injury,
Chiefs: LT Wanya Morris left in the first half with a lower leg injury but returned to the game.
New Orleans hosts Tampa Bay on Sunday.
Kansas City has a week off before visiting San Francisco on Oct. 20.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
New Orleans Saints Rashid Shaheed, left, catches a touchdown pass as Kansas City Chiefs safety Bryan Cook (6) defends during the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
New Orleans Saints Rashid Shaheed, left, is congratulated by wide receiver Chris Olave after scoring during the first half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, right, scrambles away from New Orleans Saints defensive tackle John Ridgeway III during the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) throws over Kansas City Chiefs nose tackle Mike Pennel (69) during the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Kansas City Chiefs running back Samaje Perine, left, is stopped by New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore (23) during the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (9) is forced out of bounds by New Orleans Saints cornerback Paulson Adebo after catching a pass during the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Khalen Saunders (50) intercepts a pass in the end zone during the second half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) runs pas New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore (23) during the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) throws over New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Bryan Bresee (90) during the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Mason Tipton (84) is stopped by Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Mike Danna (51) during the second half of an NFL football game Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes throws during the second half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
