52nd Homer for A-Rod as Yanks Sweep Kansas

Alex Rodriguez' two-run homer in the first inning yesterday boosted the Yankees to a 6-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals, and helped Yank ace Chien-Ming Wang collect his 18th win of the season. A-Rod, now with 52 home runs this season and a .583 batting average in the four-game series against the Royals, could well become the American  League's MVP.

Wang allowed the Royals to threaten in the fourth, erasing a 3-0 Yankees lead with a three-run double by Alex Gordon. He settled down to pitch three more innings, and a two-run double by Jorge Posada and RBI by Robinson Cano put the lid on the game. The Yankees now lead the AL wild-card race by four games.