The Yankees did nothing for two innings against the Athletics on Sunday, and Aaron Judge had seen enough.
New York had gone hitless through two against lefty Jacob Lopez, an early error had handed the A’s three runs, and the visitors’ dugout in West Sacramento felt flat. Judge delivered what he called “a couple choice words” between innings. Starting pitcher Will Warren summed up the message as “Let’s wake up.”
What followed
The first 12 Yankees to bat in the third inning reached base. By the time it ended, New York had sent 18 hitters to the plate, collected 11 hits and four walks, stolen four bases, and scored 13 runs in a half inning that took 43 minutes and 75 pitches to complete. The Yankees won 13-8.
It was the franchise’s biggest inning in 21 years and tied for its biggest in 106, one run shy of the 14 that Babe Ruth’s 1920 club hung on the Washington Senators. Ben Rice did the heaviest lifting with a two-run double and a two-run triple for four RBI, and eight of the nine Yankees in the order finished the inning with at least one hit and one RBI.
The part that had never happened
The Yankees did all of their damage in the third and managed no runs and no hits across the other eight innings, a first in league history. They also became the first team ever to score 13 or more runs in a game with every run and every hit packed into a single frame.
Warren spent the long inning trying to stay ready. “When they took the second mound visit, I ran to the bullpen to throw,” he said. “Just wanted to make sure I was sharp to go back out there after the boys put up 13.”
Boone’s read
Aaron Boone reached for one word. “Remarkable,” the manager said. “Glad we were able to make it stand up. Obviously, a lot of really good things offensively. I don’t think the prettiest game on either side, necessarily. But we were able to make a really outstanding inning stand up.”
Jacob Lopez had retired all six Yankees he faced through two innings before the third turned on him. Seven of the 13 runs were charged to him, and three A’s pitchers needed those 75 pitches to escape. The Yankees lead baseball in home runs, and they put up the biggest inning of their century without hitting one.
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