KANSAS CITY, MO. – John Buck hit a three-run homer and Angel Berroa had two hits and scored twice in a 10-run fifth inning that carried the Kansas City Royals to a 17-8 rout of the Yankees last night.

The Royals sent 15 men to the plate against four pitchers in the biggest inning against the Yankees since Boston scored 11 in a 13-7 win on May 31, 1998.

It was the Royals’ second big inning in a week. They scored 11 runs in the third inning of a 26-5 victory Wednesday over the Detroit Tigers.

Last night, Kansas City scored on a walk, a balk, two wild pitches, a home run and three singles.

Berroa wound up with five hits and scored five runs and Buck also had a single and two doubles and a career-best five RBIs for the Royals, who had lost six in a row to the Yankees and beaten them only twice in their last 10 meetings at home. Brian Anderson (4-11) went six innings and gave up nine hits and three runs.

The Yankees – who lost 22-0 on August 31 to Cleveland – saw their lead in the AL East shrink to three games over idle Boston.

Brad Halsey (1-3), making his second start since being recalled from Triple-A Columbus on Sept.5,started the fifth by giving up a walk and a bunt single. Reliever Tanyon Sturtze relieved, and ended up being charged with seven runs on five hits in just two-thirds of an inning.

The Yankees scored five times in the ninth. Dioner Navarro had an RBI single for his first major league hit.