NEW YORK (AP) — Homer Bailey won consecutive starts for the first time since July 2017, holding the New York Yankees to three hits over six innings and leading the Kansas City Royals to a 6-1 victory Thursday night.

Jorge Soler and Ryan O’Hearn hit solo home runs off Domingo German (3-1), and the Royals won their second straight after starting the season 5-12, including 0-5 on the road.

Bailey (2-1), a right-hander who turns 33 next month, has been among baseball’s biggest busts since signing a $100 million, six-year contract with Cincinnati before the 2014 season. He went 18-32 for the Reds after the big deal, missing more than 14 months following Tommy John surgery in May 2015. He was 1-14 last season, then was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in December and released with $28 million still due. He signed a minor league contract with the Royals, made the team and after opening with a no decision and a loss, allowed two hits over seven scoreless innings to beat Cleveland last Saturday for his first win since May 12.

He allowed a tying run to the Yankees on Gleyber Torres’ first-inning sacrifice fly following singles by Aaron Judge and Luke Voit, then gave up just one more hit. Bailey, who struck out six and walked one, had not won back-to-back starts since July 4, 2017, at Colorado and five days later at Arizona.

Richard Lovelady got five outs, and former Yankee Ian Kennedy finished. New York was limited to four singles, including a pair by Clint Frazier in the fourth and ninth innings.

Playing on the 96th anniversary of the opening of the original Yankee Stadium across the street, New York stumbled following its two-game sweep of Boston and dropped back to 8-10.

German gave up three runs and six hits in six innings with nine strikeouts and no walks. He fell behind on consecutive doubles in the first by Adalberto Mondesi — who had been 0 for 20 on the road this year — and Alex Gordon, then fell behind 3-1 on leadoff homers by Soler in the second and O’Hearn in the fourth.

Whit Merrifield hit an RBI double in the seventh off Jonathan Holder. Mondesi hit sacrifice flies against Zack Britton in the seventh and Joseph Harvey in the ninth.

BUILT FORD TOUGH

Mike Ford made his major league debut for the Yankees after playing 561 games over seven minor league seasons and went 0 for 3 with a flyout, two strikeouts and a walk as parents Barb and Bob watched from the stands. The 26-year-old from New Jersey is the seventh Princeton product to reach the big leagues after playing for Tigers coach Scott Bradley, a former catcher for the Yankees and Seattle. He was brought up earlier this week but did not get into a game against Boston, though he was prepared to pinch hit in the seventh inning Wednesday.

“I had to settle myself down there,” he said. “I started to notice my hands shaking a little bit. I was like, calm down. It’s the same game.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: 3B Miguel Andujar (labrum tear in right shoulder) took batting and fielding practice and is increasing the intensity of his workouts. Boone said it was too early to consider whether Andujar could return in a DH role if his arm is limited. … SS Troy Tulowitzki (left calf strain) took batting practice and ran on the field. He plans to travel with the Yankees on their trip that starts Monday night at the Los Angeles Angels.

UP NEXT

LHP CC Sabathia (0-0) makes his second start for the Yankees on Friday after pitching five scoreless innings of one-hit ball against the Chicago White Sox. Sabathia needs 11 strikeouts to reach 3,000. RHP Jakob Junis (1-1), who starts for the Royals, is 0-2 at Yankee Stadium.

— Associated Press —

CHICAGO (AP) — Tim Anderson says he isn’t sure what he did to rile up the opposing pitcher or get ejected from the game.

But he’s certain of this much: He’s not changing his ways.

And if flipping a bat to celebrate a towering home run offends the other team, so be it.

“It’s all confusing,” he said. “I’m the one that ended up in the locker room, and I was the one that got hit by a pitch.”

The fiercely energetic Anderson spiked his bat following a home run and Kansas City’s Brad Keller responded by drilling him with a fastball in his next at-bat, setting off a benches-clearing fracas in the Royals’ 4-3, 10-inning victory over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday.

Anderson tossed his bat toward the White Sox dugout following his two-run drive in the fourth inning. Keller hit him in the buttocks with his first pitch leading off the sixth.

Anderson, the AL’s leading hitter, was restrained by Royals catcher Martin Maldonado but kept jawing with Keller on the way to first base. The dugouts and bullpens emptied, though no punches appeared to be thrown. White Sox manager Rick Renteria and Royals bench coach Dale Sveum shoved each other, and the usually mild-mannered Renteria was particularly animated.

There were four ejections — Anderson, Keller, Renteria and Sveum.

Though Keller insisted he wasn’t trying to hit anyone, Kansas City’s Hunter Dozier said Anderson should have expected retaliation.

“And once you get hit, just deal with it and go to first. That’s my take on it,” said Dozier, who hit a tiebreaking homer in the 10th.

Anderson has often talked about encouraging players to express themselves, something Major League Baseball has tried to embrace with its “Let the Kids Play” marketing campaign. But not everybody in the game sees it the same way.

“I’m going to continue to be me and keep having fun,” Anderson said. “Our fans, they pay their hard earned money to come to the ballpark to see a show so why don’t I give them one.”

The 25-year-old Anderson and the Royals have mixed it up before.

In April 2018, Anderson shouted after a home run against Kansas City. Later in the game, he was playing shortstop when Royals star catcher Salvador Perez reached second base. Words were exchanged and the benches cleared.

When the tempers cooled, Perez and Anderson shook hands. Perez said Anderson had hollered a few weeks earlier when he homered twice on opening day.

Anderson also has a history with crew chief Joe West, who he called “terrible” after getting tossed from a game against the crosstown Cubs in September.

West had little to say Wednesday, telling a White Sox spokesman: “Because of the language that was used on the field, the umpires declined comment.”

Renteria insisted Anderson “clearly” wasn’t showing up the Royals.

“Get him out. You want him to not do that? Get him out,” Renteria said.

He also called his flare-up with Sveum a “misunderstanding” in the heat of the moment with players and coaches slow to clear the field.

“He just got excited and said, `Get your team back, get your team in the dugout,” Sveum said.

That angered Royals manager Ned Yost, who said, “We’ve got no issues but I’m not going to allow anybody to yell at my team.”

DOZIER GOES DEEP

Dozier connected leading off the 10th against Nate Jones (0-1). His drive to left on a 2-0 fastball made a winner of Wily Peralta (2-1), who worked two innings.

Scott Barlow pitched in the 10th for his first career save, getting Daniel Palka on a game-ending grounder after walking Leury Garcia. Keller gave up two runs and four hits. And the Royals picked up their first win in six road games this season.

Palka singled batting for Yoan Moncada in the seventh to break an 0-for-32 skid to start the season and got optioned to Triple-A after the game.

White Sox starter Lucas Giolito left with two out in the third because of tightness in his left groin.

Giolito — 4-0 in eight starts against Kansas City — seemed to feel discomfort throwing a 1-1 pitch to Alex Gordon. He stretched his leg and took a few warmup tosses before heading to the dugout and was to be re-evaluated.

Giolito did not allow a run or hit in 2 2/3 innings. The 24-year-old right-hander struck out five, walked one and hit a batter.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: Maldonado was in the lineup after being scratched Tuesday because of an illness.

White Sox: Moncada had a headache but no concussion after being lifted for precautionary reasons in the seventh. He was shaken up stealing second in the fifth inning, when Maldonado’s throw hit his helmet as he was diving. … The White Sox have no timetable for OF Jon Jay (strained right hip) going on a rehab assignment. Renteria said he is “just scratching the surface now of increasing some of his activities” after being placed on the 10-day injured list during spring training.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Homer Bailey (1-1, 5.29) tries to win his second straight start when the Royals open a four-game series at the New York Yankees. RHP Domingo German (3-0, 1.38) pitches for the Yankees.

White Sox: RHP Ivan Nova (0-2, 5.28) tries for his first win with the White Sox as Chicago opens a four-game series at Detroit. The veteran took the loss at New York on Saturday despite holding the Yankees to one run over six-plus innings. RHP Tyson Ross (1-2, 3.50) starts for the Tigers.

— Associated Press —