The Yankees’ batters continued to stay hot with Aaron Judge adding four hits and Ben Rice smacking a grand slam, and Ryan Yarbrough delivered five strong innings in New York’s 12-2 shellacking of the Athletics Sunday in West Sacramento.
In the three games, the Yanks pounded out 29 runs and took two of three to improve to 23-17 on the year. The A’s fell to 21-20 (8-13 in their minor-league accommodations). The Yankees hit 16 balls with exit velocities over 99.8 mph, with 11 going for hits (five for extra bases).
Here are the takeaways…
– In the second, Paul Goldschmidt got the Yanks going with a leadoff double off ex-Yank Luis Severino. A wild pitch moved Goldschmidt to third as Jasson Dominguez worked a walk and Anthony Volpe’s single through the left side of the inning plated the first run of the game. Austin Wells stayed on a low and away 0-2 changeup for a single to load the bases and Oswaldo Cabrera tallied an RBI walk, leading to a mound visit. After Jorbit Vivas traded an out for a run on a grounder to short, Severino hit Rice on the back foot, missing on a 1-2 sweeper.
Judge, who struck out his first time up, ripped a two-RBI single to right on a sinker that leaked right over the plate. Cody Bellinger’s soft liner to second and Goldschmidt’s liner to right ended the frame with the visitors up 5-0.
– After Severino’s 37-pitch second, Dominguez smashed a single off the glove of a diving second baseman for a first-pitch base hit in the third. Severino got Volpe to line out and Wells swinging, but on Cabrera’s double to the left-center gap, Dominguez ran through a late stop sign at third and got in with a head-first dive, beating the tag to score from first.
– The Yanks chased Severino in the fifth with Dominguez singling to right and Volpe to left that put runners on the corners with nobody out. Mitch Spence would hit Wells to load the bases. Cabrera grounded out, Vivas went down swinging, but Rice took a 3-1 cutter down and in and clobbered it 398-feet (111.2 mph off the bat) down the right field line for a grand slam, the first of his career.
After Judge and Bellinger singled, Goldschmidt lined a double off the left field wall for an RBI double before Dominguez couldn’t check his swing to end the inning with two in scoring position. But the damage was done; it was 11-1 Yanks.
– Ryan Yarbrough needed eight pitches for a 1-2-3 first. The lefty surrendered a bloop single, but cleaned up his mess with a room service 6-4-3 double play and a comebacker meant another quick inning on 10 pitches. He walked ex-Yank Gio Urshela with two down, but got Jacob Wilson, who entered the game batting .358, swinging on a half swing.
A seeing-eye single past Cabrera and Volpe and a first-pitch single to left put two runners on off Yarbrough in the fourth. A flyout to right saw the runner tag and take third as the ball carried a bit on Bellinger. Miguel Andujar lobbed an RBI bloop single to center, but Vivas made a diving stop on a grounder to second and a pop fly to right ended the threat with two in scoring position.
With the lead at 10, Yarbrough got the fifth to look for a chance to earn a win, as his pitch count was 59. JJ Bleday launched a first-pitch homer to right and Urshela singled to left, but the lefty got around that without any further damage.
It looked like this would be the second start as an opener on the year, but thanks to some efficient work, Yarbrough did the business. His final line: 5 innings, two runs, six hits, one walk, two strikeouts, on 67 pitches (43 strikes).
– New York tacked on another run in the seventh, after Rice got plunked for the second time, Judge cracked a single, and with one out, Goldschmidt plated a run with a ground-rule double to right.
Judge, who added a hustle double in the alley in left-center in the fourth, finished the day 4-for-5 with two RBI and saw his slashline balloon to .409/.494/.779 for a 1.273 OPS.
Goldschmidt finished 3-for-5 with two RBI and is now batting .349 with a .898 OPS. Dominguez (2-for-4) with a walk and three strikeouts and Volpe (2-for-5) with an RBI and a strikeout also had multi-hit days.
– Out of the bullpen, Yerry De Los Santos pitched three scoreless frames with two walks and a strikeout on 34 pitches (22 strikes). Lefty Tyler Matzek, with Rice working behind the dish, allowed a hit and added a strikeout in the ninth, needing 21 pitches (14 strikes).
Game MVP: Aaron Judge
Last year’s AL MVP continues to be a menace in the batter’s box through 40 games.
Highlights
Anthony Volpe gets the Yankees on the board with an RBI single! pic.twitter.com/8UHaEy0dEP
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) May 11, 2025
Aaron Judge with a 2 RBI single to extend the lead! pic.twitter.com/atRllDXEnA
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) May 11, 2025
BEN RICE GRAND SLAM 💣
First of his career! pic.twitter.com/BB8uQPwLfH
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) May 11, 2025
RBI double for Goldschmidt makes it 12-2! pic.twitter.com/c1oTYCykqk
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) May 11, 2025
What’s next
New York continues the road trip heading up to Seattle for a three-game series with the Mariners. The Yanks have yet to name starters for the series.
Right-hander Emerson Hancock (5.70 ERA, 1.563 WHIP in 23.2 innings) gets the ball for the M’s in the series opener on Monday, 9:40 p.m. EDT first pitch.
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