Cole's strikeouts, spin rate down, Royals rally past Yanks

NEW YORK (AP) — Gerrit Cole’s strikeouts and spin rate dropped as he pitched for the first time since Major League Baseball’s crackdown on sticky substances, and Ryan O'Hearn and the Kansas City Royals rallied against the Yankees' bullpen for four runs in the eighth inning to beat New York Yankees 6-5 Tuesday night.

Cole, among the pitchers under highest scrutiny as umpires regularly search pitchers this week for unauthorized grip enhancers, allowed two runs and three hits in seven innings, showing his usual velocity but without his explosive strikeout pitches.

Luke Voit homered and tripled in his return from the injured list as the Yankees built a 3-2 lead.

Kansas City erased an eighth-inning deficit by taking a 6-3 lead against Jonathan Loaisga (7-3) as O’Hearn, Jarrod Dyson, Hunter Dozier and Michael A. Taylor drove in runs.

DJ LeMahieu hit a two-run homer with one out in the bottom half against Kyle Zimmer and Aaron Judge doubled off the left-field wall against Scott Barlow, who then retired pinch-hitter Rougned Odor and Giancarlo Stanton.

Greg Holland allowed Gio Urshela’s bloop single leading off the ninth, then got his fifth save in nine chances. Gleyber Torres struck out for the fourth time and Clint Frazier also fanned. After Gary Sánchez was intentionally walked, Brett Gardner popped out on a night the Yankees went 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position and left 13 on base.

Jake Brentz (2-0) won despite allowing New York to take a 3-2 lead on his seventh-inning wild pitch.

No. 66 on both teams homered in the same game for the first time in major league history, the Yankees’ Kyle Higashioka in the first inning off Brady Singer and O’Hearn in the fourth.

Cole had his glove and cap searched by umpires after the third and sixth innings and was given an...

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