Yankees 7–11 Athletics: Rodon shaky, bullpen worse as A’s storm back late

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New York Yankees 7- 11 Athletics

The Yankees stormed back from an early four-run deficit but couldn’t hold on late, falling 11-7 to the Athletics in West Sacramento on Saturday. Despite two home runs from Aaron Judge and a brief mid-game lead, New York’s bullpen faltered in the final innings, allowing seven runs across the seventh and eighth frames.

Late collapse wastes Aaron Judge’s power surge in Sacramento

Carlos Rodon, who had pitched well in his previous four starts, didn’t have his best stuff on the mound. The A’s got to him early with a solo homer from Luis Urias in the second inning and a three-run shot by Brent Rooker in the third, building a 4-0 lead before the Yankees could settle in.

Aaron Judge began to chip away at the deficit in the fourth, homering off former teammate JP Sears to put New York on the board. He added another blast two innings later, this time against reliever Justin Sterner, launching a drive to dead center for his MLB-leading 14th homer of the season. The Yankees captain now leads the league by two, pulling ahead of Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Schwarber, and Cal Raleigh.

That sixth-inning homer kicked off a full-on rally. Cody Bellinger followed Judge’s second homer with a walk, and Anthony Volpe doubled to put two runners in scoring position. Austin Wells’ sacrifice fly brought home Bellinger, and a wild pitch allowed Volpe to advance to third. Oswaldo Cabrera, pinch-hitting, tied the game with another sac fly. The comeback was capped off when Oswald Peraza went the opposite way and snuck a two-run homer off the foul pole in right, giving New York a 6-4 lead.

Rodon managed to finish six innings, striking out 10 and limiting the damage to four runs on eight hits. However, the momentum shifted again in the seventh when Fernando Cruz took the mound. After getting a quick out, Cruz allowed a single to Rooker and a misplayed double to Tyler Soderstrom, setting the stage for Shea Langeliers. The A’s catcher crushed a three-run homer to center, giving the Athletics a 7-6 lead.

It was a rare stumble for Cruz, who had been dominant since arriving in a trade from Cincinnati. Entering the day with a 1.37 ERA and a sub-1.00 WHIP, his numbers were due for some regression—and Langeliers took full advantage.

The Yankees had a chance to answer in the eighth. After a throwing error by A’s pitcher Tyler Ferguson on what could have been an inning-ending double play, manager Mark Kotsay called on closer Mason Miller. With two on and one out, Miller struck out Ben Rice and Paul Goldschmidt to protect the slim lead.

Any hopes for a comeback vanished in the bottom of the eighth. Ian Hamilton and Tyler Matzek combined to give up another four runs, highlighted again by Langeliers, who roped a two-run double for his fifth RBI of the game. Trent Grisham’s slight misplay in center didn’t help matters, as the A’s opened up a five-run lead heading into the ninth.

Grisham tried to spark one last push, leading off the ninth with a triple. He eventually scored, but that was all the Yankees could muster against Miller, who closed the door for his 11th save in 12 tries.

The loss wastes an impressive offensive performance by Judge in his home region near Sacramento, where he’s playing as a professional for the first time. His two-homer game was the 41st multi-homer outing of his career, placing him fourth in Yankees history behind Babe Ruth (68), Mickey Mantle (46), and Lou Gehrig (43).

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The Yankees will now look to rebound in Sunday’s rubber match. While they haven’t officially named a starter following the DFA of Carlos Carrasco, left-hander Ryan Yarbrough is expected to play a key role, whether as the starter or bulk reliever following an opener. They’ll face a familiar foe in Luis Severino, the longtime Yankee now pitching for Oakland. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET.

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