KC Royals have clear silver lining from tough ALDS Game 1 loss to Yankees

On Saturday night, the Kansas City Royals went down 6-5 to the New York Yankees, taking their first loss of the postseason and failing to set the tone they wanted for the American League Division Series. Despite the disappointing loss, there was a lot to like about the Royals' performance, and if nothing else, they definitely proved to the Yankees that with up to four games left of this series, they won't be going down without a fight.

KC Royals and NY Yankees make postseason history with 5 lead changes in Game 1

Game 1 certainly brought its fair share of excitement, with five lead changes between the Royals and Yankees marking the most in postseason history.

A sacrifice fly by the Royals' Tommy Pham drove in the first run of the game in the second inning, giving the team an early 1-0 lead. The Yankees answered in the third with a go-ahead, two-run home run from Gleyber Torres, putting New York on top, 2-1. Kansas City got back in the lead, 3-2, with MJ Melendez’s two-run homer in the fourth inning, but it didn't last long — the Yankees took advantage of the Royals' wild pitching in the fifth to draw four walks, two with bases loaded, and pull ahead 4-3.

The lead changed again in the sixth inning, when a fielding error by New York's Anthony Volpe put Kansas City runners on second and third, setting the stage for the Royals' Garrett Hampson to hit a two-run go-ahead single and put the score at 5-4. The Yankees immediately responded once they got up to the plate, with Austin Wells hitting a run-scoring single to tie the game, 5-5.

The seventh inning was the decider. Yankees' third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. got on base with a lead-off single and then stole second. A review ruled Chisholm as safe at second base, and he went on to score the final run of the game off a single from Alex Verdugo.

After a ferocious back-and-forth game, the Yankees went home with the win, but Chisholm's stolen base in the seventh inning remains contentious.

"I got a really good look at it out there and afterwards," Royals manager Matt Quatraro told MLB.com's Anne Rogers, "and I think we did have a really good argument that that should have been overturned."

NY Yankees star Aaron Judge whiffed three times by KC Royals

When the Royals announced they'd be starting Michael Wacha on the mound for Game 1 of the ALDS, fans and experts alike were quick to point out his history with Yankees star Aaron Judge. Going into Saturday's game, Judge had gone 1-for-18 with 11 strikeouts while facing Wacha, clearly establishing that something Wacha was doing had historically worked to rock the slugger.

Judge's quiet time at the plate continued in Game 1, with the star striking out in 3 of his 4 at-bats — once against Wacha, once against reliever Michael Lorenzen, and once against closer Lucas Erceg. He did manage to draw a walk from Angel Zerpa in the bottom of the fifth inning, putting him on base to eventually be driven in after Volpe walked with bases loaded, but the Royals still proved their point.

They can hang with even the best of the Yankees' offense.

The ALDS is a best-of-five series, meaning there is at least two more games remaining and potentially as many as four more. The Yankees taking Game 1 is worrying — in 72% of all best-of-five series in MLB history, the team that takes Game 1 has gone on to win the series — but it's not over 'til it's over.

They may not have won, but the Royals left Game 1 having proved they are a force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately for the top-seeded Yankees, this is unlikely to be the easy series they'd hoped for.