Virtual Baseball: King Crowns Royals, Hangs on for Win Thanks to Judge Bullet!

Surprise starter Mike King managed to overawe his fellow Royals for five innings tonight, as the Yanks broke out to a 6-1 lead, on home runs by Giancarlo Stanton, D.J. LeMahieu, and Luke Voit.  The Royals cut the lead to 6-3 on roundtrippers  by Salvador Perez and Ryan Mc-BROOM! and threatened against the usual, long line of Yankees relievers.

In the bottom of the ninth, Whit Merrifield tripled to deep left-center off Zach(k) Britton, who then allowed a deep flyball by Mc-BROOM to right.  However, a bullet to the plate from Aaron Judge cut down Merrifield, wit or no wit, and preserved the victory. 

The win kept the Yanks just a game behind the ever-victorious TB Rays, a race that makes the Pinstripers upcoming game against the White Sox in the "Field of Dreams" game all the more of an attraction.  

Manager Ma Boone, though, told the press he thought it was likely to be a routine game of little interest.

"Why, look at all the excitement we've already had this year," Boone said.  "Train derailments, the team plane crash-landing in Citi Field, Stanton actually playing more than ten games in a row.  What else could possibly happen, just playing a game out in a corn field?"

As soon as he finished speaking, though, Boone suddenly whipped his head about, and a troubled 

expression passed across his face.

"Didn't anybody else hear that?" he asked.  "No?  Why, it sounded just like rustling...like a rustling in the corn..."