Things got weird fast in the Yankees-Royals game. Johnny Lasagna (Jonathan Loáisiga) came in with a runner on first, Gerard Dyson pinch-running for his speed. Before throwing a single pitch, Loáisiga tried to keep Dyson honest and threw over to first—twice. The second time, the ball got away and Dyson ended up on second. Still no pitches thrown. Then Loáisiga stepped off the rubber to reset. The home plate ump called a balk, claiming a “start and stop” motion. That pushed Dyson to third. Aaron Boone hated the call, argued, got warned, kept going, and was ejected.
After the dust settled, Dyson tagged up on a fly ball to the outfield and scored easily, tying the game. So in one of the strangest sequences of the season, the Royals scored a run without a stolen base or a pitched ball. Just a pickoff throw gone wrong and a controversial balk. Dyson smirked on the bench like it was business as usual. The whole thing showed how quickly a reliever’s appearance can unravel and how one speedy baserunner can flip an inning without even swinging a bat.