New York Yankees 7-3 Oakland Athletics
NEW YORK — Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees smashed a two-run home run in the first inning following a balk called on Oakland’s starting pitcher, Joe Boyle, on the previous pitch. The Yankees secured a 7-3 victory over the Athletics on Wednesday night.
Adding to the home run barrage, Anthony Rizzo and Juan Soto also belted deep shots to bolster the Yankees’ winning streak. With this win, the Yankees continued their dominance over the A’s in the Bronx, securing their fifth victory in seven games and improving to an impressive 10-1 record in their last 11 home matchups.
This game marked the first instance this season where the Yankees’ formidable trio of Judge, Rizzo, and Soto all homered in the same game.
The momentum shifted during Judge’s at-bat when he appeared to strike out on a called third strike and began heading back to the dugout. However, a pivotal balk call by third base umpire John Tumpane against Oakland’s starter Joe Boyle (1-4) granted Judge another opportunity, which he seized by launching a towering home run.
Judge Explains Balk, Boone Reacts Favorably
Looking back on the play, Aaron Judge remarked, “It was a fastball, and I honestly wasn’t sure what happened. I noticed a subtle waving motion telling me to ‘go back,’ but that’s just the rules being enforced.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone shared his perspective, saying, “Honestly, I didn’t even realize Judge was leaving the batter’s box because I immediately noticed the balk and the umpire’s call. Fortunately, it ended up working in our favor.”
Taking advantage of his second opportunity, Judge connected with a fastball on the outer edge of the plate, sending it over the short right-field wall. This powerful swing not only extended the Yankees’ lead but also moved him past Yankees legend Derek Jeter into ninth place on the team’s all-time home run leaderboard with his 261st career homer.
Oakland manager Mark Kotsay acknowledged that the call was a close one that falls to the umpire’s judgment. He noted that such calls are uncommon, but in this instance it provided Aaron Judge with an extra pitch which he capitalized on. While acknowledging the umpire’s discretion and the inability to contest balk calls, Kotsay implied a sense of frustration at the timing of the decision.
Judge didn’t stop after his fourth home run. He continued his strong performance in the third inning with a base hit. This was his fourth game this season with multiple hits, marking the first time he’d achieved this since mid-April.
“His at-bats tonight were encouraging,” Boone remarked, noting Judge’s improved batting average, which rose from a cool .180 to a slightly warmer .191.
Volpe Shines on Both Sides, Rizzo Stays Hot
Anthony Volpe had a standout performance on this memorable night. He began by making a spectacular defensive play, leaping to catch a ball and rob Ryan Noda of a hit. Then, in the fourth inning, Volpe showcased his offensive skills with an RBI triple that evaded the Oakland right fielder, Lawrence Butler. Volpe’s hustle on the basepaths continued, leading him to score later on a sacrifice fly by Soto.
Meanwhile, Anthony Rizzo maintained his offensive momentum by hitting his second home run in as many games. This impressive streak follows a period without a homer, which had lasted since April 6th during the Yankees’ four-run first inning. Additionally, Rizzo’s consecutive homers mark the first time he’s achieved this since May 19th-20th.
Sixth Inning Blast Propels Yankees Offense
Juan Soto ignited the offense in the sixth inning by hitting his sixth home run of the season, a towering shot that just cleared the center field fence and settled beyond Monument Park.
Alex Verdugo contributed as well, scoring another run with a sacrifice fly. The Yankees’ offense was sharp, amassing a total of 11 hits during the game.
Meanwhile, Brent Rooker had a significant moment of his own in the sixth inning, launching a three-run homer that prematurely ended New York starter Clarke Schmidt’s time on the mound.
Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt pitched impressively for 5 1/3 innings, conceding only 3 runs on 4 hits. Despite the runs, he tallied 6 strikeouts and issued just 2 walks.
In relief, Boyle took the mound for 3 innings, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits. He demonstrated his strikeout prowess with 6 strikeouts but also struggled with control, issuing 4 walks during his appearance.
The Yankees roster
Up next
Get ready for a left-handed pitching matchup in the series finale this Thursday! Oakland’s Alex Wood (0-2, 7.89 ERA) will take the mound against New York’s Nestor Cortes (1-1, 3.41 ERA).
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
Why is Gleyber Torres still batting 6th ahead of TWO Markedly Better Hitters.
With 28 Ks in 90 ABs, Torres is now on pace to Strike Out 202 times this year! Why would any Sane Manager want someone that AWFUL batting ahead of Verdugo & Cabrera?
Here are Torres, Verdugo & Cabrera’s stats so far in 2024. The players are listed in Batting Order (6-8), as of the April 24 7-3 win over the A’s (of no man’s land).
You’ve no doubt heard of the puzzle game WHERE’S WALDO? Well, this is the Puzzle Game WHY IS TORRES BATTING 6TH & NOT 8TH? See if you’re smarter than me & can find the Secret Reason.
Player HR RBI Ks AVE OBP SLG OBP
Torres 0 2 28 .189 .288 .211 .499
Verdugo 2 8 9 .244 .354 .390 .744
Cabrera 3 14 15 .263 .296 .434 .730
So, have any of you found the superior-hitting Waldo Torres that Boonehead sees?
Let’s summarize these 3 players stats:
Torres is LAST in HRs with zero. No Waldo there.
Torres is LAST in RBIs. Verdugo has 4 TIMES more; Cabrera has 7 TIMES more! No Waldo there.
Torres is LAST in AVE. Verdugo’s is 55 POINTS HIGHER; Cabrera’s 74 POINTS HIGHER. No Waldo there.
Torres is LAST in OBP. Verdugo’s is 66 POINTS HIGHER; Cabrera’s 8 POINTS HIGHER. No Waldo there.
Torres is LAST in SLG. Verdugo’s is 179 POINTS HIGHER; Cabrera’s 223 POINTS HIGHER. No Waldo there.
Torres is LAST in OPS. Verdugo’s is 245 POINTS HIGHER; Cabrera’s 231 POINTS HIGHER. No Waldo there.
BUT Torres is FIRST in Ks, by a HUGE MARGIN, with 28. Yeah! Torres leads in something! This must be Boone’s Waldo Find: Torres is easily THE BEST AT STRIKING OUT. Give Boone a BIG Bronx Cheer for that.
There is NO REASON that Torres should be hitting before Verdugo & Cabrera; and if Boone wants to maintain the Righty Lefty order, simply move Cabrera to 6th & keep Verdugo at 7th, with the Most God Awful of the 3, Gleyber Torres, batting 8th.
Now, will some NY Sports Reporter Actually Do His or Her Job & Demand to Know Why Boone insists on having the worst of these 3 hitters bat 6th, instead of 8th?
Why would Boone want Torres, who’s currently one of the worst hitters in baseball, to get MORE AT BATS than 2 Much Better Hitters? Where’s the Logic in that? Where’s Boone’s Waldo in this Abject Stupidity?!
ONLY A MORON WHOULD CONTINUE TO BAT TORRES 6TH, GIVEN THE ABOVE EVIDENCE!
I’m going to play the part of a seer here:
When Berti & (possibly) DJL come back from the Injury List (IL), BOONE WILL SIT CABRERA FAR MORE OFTEN THAN TORRES, even though 1) Cabrera is second on the team in RBIs, behind Soto, and 2) Torres has been all but USELESS At Bat & in the Field this year.
I like Boone as a person. I like his feistiness. But like Brian Cashman, Boone needs to be fired. Boone & Cashman are Albatrosses; they need to go. Watching these two in action is like watching a grammar school production of “Dumb and Dumber.”
My apologies. The spaces I embedded in the stats table (above) for Torres, Verdugo & Cabrera were removed by the app, making it difficult to read the “table.”
Here is that data in text form:
Torres: 0 HR, 2 RBI, 28 Ks, .189 AVE, .288 OBP, .211 SLG, .499 OBP.
Verdugo: 2 HR, 8 RBI, 9 Ks, .244 AVE, .354 OBP, .390 SLG, .744 OBP.
Cabrera: 3 HR, 14 RBI, 15 Ks, .263 AVE, .296 OBP, .434 SLG, .730 OBP.
I was mistaken on one thing I wrote in the first comment.
When I wrote “if Boone wants to maintain the Righty Lefty order, simply move Cabrera to 6th & keep Verdugo at 7th,” I forgot that Cabrera, who was a switch hitter, is only hitting from the Right side on rare occasions now.
So, having Cabrera & Verdugo bat back-to-back will typically result in 2 Lefty hitters in a row. But, so what? Torres isn’t hitting at all from the Right side, so how does it help us going Righty, Lefty, Lefty, instead of Lefty, Left, Righty?
Sorry, there’s No Waldo there for Boone, either.