In a decisive victory at Yankee Stadium, the Oakland Athletics delivered a 7-0 defeat to the New York Yankees on Saturday, highlighted by notable batting performances and strong pitching. Brent Rooker broke the ice in the fourth inning with a solo home run, which snapped Clarke Schmidt’s impressive scoreless streak of 28 1/3 innings. Nick Kurtz then contributed a significant three-run homer in the sixth inning, cementing the A’s lead.
Former Yankee JP Sears demonstrated a dominant performance on the mound, yielding only two hits over 5 2/3 innings. Sears showcased his prowess against his former team, despite the Athletics’ recent struggles, having lost five of their last six games and holding the worst record in the major leagues since mid-May.
Relieving Sears, Jack Perkins, a right-handed rookie who recently made his major league debut, delivered an outstanding performance. Perkins secured the victory by finishing the game with a three-hitter, extending his own scoreless streak to 6 1/3 innings.
The Yankees’ bats were silent, as they were shut out for the sixth time this season. Clarke Schmidt, having enjoyed an extra day of rest after a career-high 103-pitch no-hit effort against Baltimore, failed to replicate his success. He allowed four runs and four hits over six innings, his scoreless streak finally shattered by Rooker’s homer, the longest such streak by a Yankees starter since the 1950s.
Kurtz’s home run arrived after back-to-back walks, adding to the Yankees’ pitching woes, as New York pitchers issued five walks, leading to four of those runners scoring. This added further pressure on the team, already trailing in the sixth inning.
In a moment of tension on the field, Yankees reliever Ian Hamilton exchanged a stare with Oakland’s Jacob Wilson following an inning-ending grounder in the seventh. Hamilton later explained his frustration stemmed from personal performance issues rather than any conflict with Wilson, who assured there were no hard feelings.
The game also saw Yankees slugger Aaron Judge narrowly miss out twice, flying out to the warning track with men on base, while Paul Goldschmidt’s sixth-inning single ended a 0-for-20 slump.
A key moment unfolded in the eighth inning when Austin Wells picked up what could have been a foul pop bunt off Max Muncy, which instead led to a significant three-run inning for Oakland. This rally included a sacrifice fly from Tyler Soderstrom and an RBI single by Austin Wynns.
Kurtz’s homer marked his 12th of the season, with 11 of those homers occurring in his last 22 games, underscoring his impressive run.
Looking ahead, the Yankees hope to rebound in Sunday’s series finale. Right-hander Marcus Stroman is slated to make his first start since early April, following inflammation in his left knee. Meanwhile, Luis Severino, a former Yankee, will take the mound for the Athletics, aiming to maintain the momentum from his club’s commanding performance.