Rice, Judge and Goldschmidt power Yankees past Athletics 8-2 — Yankees - Athletics
The Yankees beat the Athletics 8-2 in yankees - athletics on May 29, 2026, taking the opener of a three-game weekend series in Sacramento. New York scored in each of the first four innings and turned a sloppy start from Luis Severino into a long night for the Athletics.
Rice and Goldschmidt strike early
Ben Rice reached when Nick Kurtz made a throwing error in the first inning, moved to second on a Severino balk and scored on Aaron Judge's RBI single. Paul Goldschmidt followed with a three-run home run, and the Yankees pushed out to a 4-0 lead before the inning was over.
Kurtz answered in the bottom of the first with his ninth home run of the season, but that was the only early response the Athletics could manage. Severino then left in the second inning with right arm soreness, and José Suárez came on in relief as the game turned into a bullpen scramble far earlier than the home side wanted.
Severino leaves early
The injury exit changed the shape of the game immediately. Severino had already allowed runs in the first inning, and the Athletics were trying to end a three-game losing streak while the Yankees were chasing five straight wins.
New York kept adding pressure after the pitching change. Rice drove in a run with a single in the second, then Ryan McMahon hit his sixth home run of the season in the third off Joel Kuhnel. Judge added another run in the fourth with a groundout, and the Yankees were up 8-2 by the time the game settled into a clear pattern.
Rodón controls the middle
Carlos Rodón handled the response from the other side, allowing one run over six innings. The Athletics managed only four hits through those six innings, even as Henry Bolte put together three singles in four at-bats and Kurtz kept a little life in the lineup.
Rice finished with three hits in five at-bats and later added his 17th home run of the season in the seventh inning. For the Yankees, the early cushion and Rodón's six innings made the opener look less like a tight series start and more like a game decided before either bullpen could settle in.
