After enduring the embarrassment of failing to go deep in the Home Run Derby, and the near-constant jeering from fans of the Kansas City Royals, Robinson Cano finally hit one into the seats at Kauffman Stadium on Sunday.

It proved to be important, too.

The two-run shot by the Yankees second baseman gave his team the lead in the third inning, and that was just about all the offense Hiroki Kuroda needed on the mound. He pitched into the eighth inning as New York beat Kansas City 4-2 to finish off a three-game sweep.

”This ballpark is big,” Cano said. ”I mean, this is a tough place to hit home runs.”

Cano, of course, was captain of the AL squad for last year’s derby in Kansas City, and had said he would choose the Royals’ Billy Butler for his team. But he went back on his word, and was booed lustily by the home crowd while failing to hit a single home run himself.

The jeers continued during the All-Star game, and didn’t let up when the Yankees returned to town for their only visit this season – at least, until Cano finally went deep.

”He’s just a really good hitter,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. ”That’s probably the best way to say it. He’s just a really good hitter.”

Lest he need any advice on going deep in Kansas City, he might try asking Vernon Wells.

The Yankees outfielder homered for the second straight game on Sunday, helping to pace a New York offense that scored just enough for Kuroda (5-2) to win for the fifth time in six decisions.

He allowed only a sacrifice fly by the Royals’ Alex Gordon and an RBI groundout by Alcides Escobar over 7 2-3 innings. The right-hander at one point went 15 batters without allowing a hit, and was so fired up that he argued with plate umpire Laz Diaz over a call in the eighth inning.

”I guess it was the heat of the moment,” Kuroda said through a translator, without relaying exactly what he said to Diaz. ”I was fired up. It’s not something I would normally do.”

David Robertson retired Billy Butler to end the Royals’ eighth-inning rally, and Mariano Rivera worked around a leadoff single in the ninth to remain perfect in 15 save opportunities.

Rivera has converted his last 29 chances against the Royals dating to Aug. 18, 1998, his longest active streak against any team. His only other blown save against them happened in 1996.

”It’s amazing. He just continues to do it,” Girardi said. ”Anyone who wants to argue he’s not the greatest closer of all time, I don’t know who it is.”

Ervin Santana (3-2) gave up Cano’s two-run shot in the third inning, Wells’ solo homer two pitches later and an RBI single by Wells in the fifth. He departed with one out in the sixth and with the Royals well on their way to their sixth loss in their last seven games.

”I didn’t have my best stuff today, but I just tried to keep my team in the ballgame,” he said. ”Just a couple of pitches. That’s how it is against the Yankees.”

Santana, who hadn’t lost since his season debut April 3 at the White Sox, began his career 5-1 against the boys in pinstripes. He’s now 0-6 in his last nine starts against them.

The Royals struck first when Jarrod Dyson doubled leading off the game. He advanced to third on a bunt by Escobar and then scored on Gordon’s sacrifice fly.

That was all they’d get off Kuroda until the eighth inning.

New York pulled ahead in the third when Chris Stewart singled and Cano pounded the first pitch he saw over the bullpen in right field. It was his sixth career homer off Santana, two more than the All-Star second baseman has had against any other pitcher.

It was especially gratifying given his history at the K.

Cano was the captain of the AL squad for last year’s Home Run Derby in Kansas City, and had said he would choose Butler for his team. But he went back on his word, and was booed lustily by the Royals’ home crowd while failing to hit a single home run himself.

The jeers continued during the All-Star game, and didn’t let up when the Yankees returned to town for their only visit this season – at least, until Cano finally went deep.

Wells, who hit the go-ahead two-run homer on Saturday, followed with a solo shot, and then drove in Brett Gardner with a single down the third-base line in the fifth inning.

That was enough to ensure the Royals would be swept for the first time this season.

”I don’t know the reasoning behind it,” Royals manager Ned Yost said, ”but you’re just one hit away from opening up the flood gates. Sometimes that one hit in a crucial situation just relaxes everybody and all of a sudden you go on an offensive tear for a weak or 10 days. So we just wait for that to happen.”

— Associated Press —

Andy Pettitte finally stopped beating himself up long enough to look at video of his past couple of outings, subpar efforts by any stretch and certainly his own lofty standards.

It turned out that all the 40-year-old left-hander needed to do was a make a couple of minor adjustments – alter his arm angle ever so slightly, for one thing – to get back on track.

Pettitte pitched seven stellar innings Saturday night, and Vernon Wells hit a go-ahead two-run homer before making a long running catch for the final out, giving the New York Yankees a 3-2 win over the Kansas City Royals.

Pettitte (4-2) allowed seven runs against Houston and only lasted five innings his last time out against Oakland. But he looked more like he did early in the season against the Royals, with a piercing cutter and pinpoint control that kept Kansas City at bay all night.

”Whenever you get knocked around, it’s not a good feeling. You never want that doubt to creep in that you’re not able to get it done,” Pettitte said. ”Hopefully I can continue to get sharper and sharper.”

Pettitte allowed only a run-scoring groundout by Lorenzo Cain and a solo homer by Billy Butler while improving to 15-3 in his career against the Royals. Kansas City hasn’t beaten him in 14 starts dating to Sept. 4, 2000.

”I really don’t think he’s forgotten how to pitch, forgotten how to throw a cutter or any of that,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. ”I always say, when you’re old or overweight – and you don’t want to be both – and you’re struggling, people are always going to be saying, ‘Is something wrong? Is something wrong?’ It’s baseball. Everyone struggles.”

Everyone except Mariano Rivera, it seems.

After David Robertson struck out the side in the eighth, Rivera worked around a two-out double by Salvador Perez for his 14th save. But it wasn’t without some tension: Mike Moustakas hit a liner to right that landed just foul, and then scorched a pitch into the left-center field gap that Wells tracked down on the run to end the game.

It was Rivera’s 14th save to start the season, and his 28th straight against the Royals. It came just over a year after he tore the ACL in his right knee while shagging balls in the Kauffman Stadium outfield during batting practice.

”I think Mo said it best, as an athlete, you can get hurt anywhere,” Girardi said. ”It just happened to be here. … I’m sure it was good for him to get out there.”

James Shields (2-3) was hurt by a throwing error on Moustakas at third base in the second inning that resulted in the Yankees’ first run. He also gave up Wells’ two-run shot in the fifth, moments after Butler’s home run had staked Kansas City to 2-1 lead.

Shields wound up going eight innings for the third time in his last four outings, and each of those times he’s failed to pick up the win. He dropped to 7-15 in his career against New York.

”You’ve got to pitch better,” Shields said. ”That’s it.”

It was the Royals’ fifth loss in six games.

”Andy Pettitte threw the ball great,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. ”Kept the ball down. Changes speeds. Hit his spots really well. We never mounted much of an attack.”

The bounces certainly seemed to be going the Yankees’ way most of the night.

Travis Hafner hit a slow grounder toward first base in the fourth inning, and Shields and first baseman Eric Hosmer had trouble deciding who should grab it. Neither of them did until it was too late, and Hafner coasted across the bag for an infield single.

Lyle Overbay hit another grounder in the sixth inning that Elliot Johnson fielded at second base, but only after shortstop Alcides Escobar bumped into him. The slight hiccup allowed Jayson Nix to reach second safely and Overbay to be safe at first.

Meanwhile, a hard-hit ball by Moustakas leading off the seventh inning caromed off Pettitte’s glove and right to Robinson Cano. The Yankees’ second baseman made the soft toss to first, turning a potential base hit into an easy groundout.

Cano had another rough night in Kansas City, though.

The Yankees’ All-Star was booed mercilessly for the second straight night by Royals fans who no doubt still remember his decision to snub Butler for the AL squad during last year’s home run derby, which was hosted by the Royals as part of All-Star festivities.

Cano went 0 for 4 and struck out looking in the seventh, arguing with plate umpire Mark Wegner over the third strike. First base coach Mick Kelleher got between them and Girardi also ran onto the field to make sure Cano wouldn’t be tossed from the game.

— Associated Press —

Lyle Overbay hit a two-run homer and finished with five RBIs, Ichiro Suzuki also hit a two-run shot and the New York Yankees opened their only series in Kansas City with an 11-6 rout of the Royals on Friday night.

Overbay finished with a career-high four hits, Suzuki had three hits and Chris Nelson drove in a pair of runs for the Yankees, who gave manager Joe Girardi his 500th win in pinstripes.

Girardi reached the milestone in his 844th game, one fewer than Billy Martin. The only Yankees managers to reach the mark faster were Casey Stengel, Joe McCarthy, Joe Torre and Miller Huggins.

Phil Hughes (2-2) allowed six runs in 5 2-3 innings but still earned the victory, thanks to a slumbering offense that awoke against Royals starter Wade Davis and reliever Bruce Chen

Davis (2-3) allowed seven runs in five-plus innings.

— Associated Press —