NEW YORK -- As the frustration mounted from one loss after another, third baseman Chase Headley described the mood as a combination of urgency and irritability within the New York Yankees clubhouse.

Urgency and irritability did not contribute to Headley's mindset when the first pitch he saw was Monday was a fastball over the plate with a runner in scoring position.

Headley hit the first of five home runs for the Yankees, who homered three times in an eight-run first inning during a 14-1 rout of the Kansas City Royals that snapped a season-high six-game losing streak.

"I think you have to be on good pitches to hit regardless of where they are in the count," Headley said. "There's been times when myself and other guys have gotten away from that. That's the approach, runner at second base, I'm looking for something I can hit to the right side and hopefully hard. When you get that pitch, whether it's the first one or 10th one you got to do your job. Obviously I got it on the first pitch but it wasn't like I'm going to out and swing at the first pitch regardless."

Headley's home run off Kansas City right-hander Jeremy Guthrie (4-3) sparked an inning when the Yankees saw 47 pitches, sent 13 to the plate.

After losing 10 of their previous 11, including three ugly losses to the Texas Rangers plagued by mental mistakes and poor pitching, the Yankees had a five-run lead before an out was recorded.

Headley's sixth home run was followed by catcher Brian McCann's fifth home run, a drive that landed in the first row of the right field seats.

After Guthrie recorded two outs, he hit shortstop Didi Gregorius with a pitch and gave up a single to rookie center fielder Slade Heathcott. Gardner then made it 8-0 by sending a 2-2 offering over the right field wall for his fourth home run.

It was New York's most home runs in an inning since also getting three in the second inning against the Boston Red Sox right-hander Clay Buchholz on Oct. 1, 2012. It also was New York's biggest inning since Aug. 27 at Detroit and the biggest at home since Sept. 2, 2013, against the Chicago White Sox.

New York extended it to 11-0 as McCann and right fielder Garrett Jones reached to start the second. Second baseman Stephen Drew then hit a towering drive into the right field seats for his fifth home run and Guthrie was lifted.

Headley had three hits, falling a triple shy of the cycle and his RBI double in the fifth gave New York its 12th run. Heathcott added a two-run home run in the seventh for his first career home run and a 14-1 lead.

"We needed it," Heathcott said. "We've been in a little bit of a funky patch the last couple of weeks."

Added Headley: "It was nice for us to get off to a good start. Obviously it's been tough going for us lately."

The win also was New York's largest margin of victory at home since a 22-9 win over the Oakland Athletics on Aug. 25, 2011. The 11 runs scored against Guthrie were the most of a single pitcher since also getting 11 off Rick Reed April 21, 2003, at Minnesota.

"They (the pitches) were executed for the most part but they did a very nice job and strung together all kinds of hits and did damage when guys were on," Guthrie said.

The Royals lost consecutive games for the first time since consecutive close losses to Detroit May 1-2. It was Kansas City's first eight-run first inning since Mark Redman allowed nine in a 10-run inning by the Tigers on Sept. 23, 2006.

Guthrie had the worst start of his career, allowing 11 runs and nine hits in one-plus inning. He became the second starting pitcher in baseball history to allow 11 earned runs in one inning or less, joining Jason Jennings, who set that dubious mark July 29, 2007, against the San Diego Padres for the Houston Astros.

"He didn't have it," Kansas City manager Ned Yost said. "It was one of those days. He