The New York Yankees (20-16) erupted for 10 runs in the seventh inning to take down the San Diego Padres (23-12), 12-3, at Yankee Stadium and halt a three-game skid.
Trailing 3-2 heading into the bottom of the seventh, the Yankees flipped the game on its head with their biggest offensive inning in a decade. Austin Wells led the surge with five RBI, including a grand slam that capped the outburst. Ben Rice and Anthony Volpe chipped in with key run-scoring hits, while Trent Grisham also contributed with a bases-loaded walk to keep the momentum going.
The 10-run inning was New York’s largest since scoring 11 in a 2015 blowout win in Texas and came against a Padres bullpen that had been among the league’s best.
Before the offensive explosion, Aaron Judge continued his MVP-caliber campaign with a solo home run off former teammate Michael King in the fourth, his 12th of the season, tying him for the league lead. Judge is now slashing an eye-popping .412/.503/.772 through 36 games.
Clarke Schmidt gave the Yankees a solid start, allowing two runs over six innings with four strikeouts. He kept the game within reach before the bats broke out.
The Yankees will send ace Max Fried (6-0, 1.01 ERA) to the mound Wednesday night in the rubber match against San Diego’s Dylan Cease (1-2, 5.61 ERA). The first pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].