The Kansas City Royals lost in Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Saturday night, losing 6-5 to the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. The Royals advanced to the ALDS by beating the Baltimore Orioles in the American League wild card round.

J.J. Picollo was mere weeks into taking over as Kansas City’s top baseball decision maker. This, he knew, he had to get right. What Picollo wanted wasn’t necessarily someone he knew or had worked with, often the case in professional baseball hirings. For Kansas City to truly transform, it had to get uncomfortable.

KC lost a 6-5 slugfest at Yankee Stadium. Alex Verdugo hit a go-ahead RBI single in the seventh inning as New York took a 1-0 series lead. That followed a controversial call at second base in which the Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm, who scored the winning run, was called safe sliding into second and the play stood on a review.