The sun sat high and hot over the Bronx, and so did the Yankee bats. By the time the last out settled into Cody Bellinger’s glove, the scoreboard read Yankees 12, Athletics 5, a comfortable cushion that actually felt even bigger for most of the afternoon. The win sealed a 2‑1 series edge and pushed New York to 48‑35, while Oakland trudged home at 34‑52.

A quick picture of the final line

Team	R	H	E
Athletics	5	5	3
Yankees	12	9	0

Those nine Yankee knocks were loud: four cleared the wall and another two rattled around for extra bases.

Bronx Bombs Away

Aaron Judge picked a perfect moment to find his first hit of the series—he actually found two of them, both home runs. The first was a 402‑foot laser in the fourth inning that landed halfway up the left‑field bleachers, and the second came three frames later, another two‑run shot that chased reliever Tyler Ferguson. The pair gave Judge 30 on the season, matching Babe Ruth’s old record of reaching that mark in four different first‑half campaigns.

Right behind him in the order, Cody Bellinger turned the game from comfortable to a laugher. Already 2‑for‑2, he drilled a 2‑2 fastball from right‑hander Hunter Harris over the center‑field fence for a three‑run homer in the fifth. Add a double and a single, and Belli finished a triple shy of the cycle: 3‑for‑5, three RBIs, three runs scored.

And if the crowd needed any more noise, Jazz Chisholm Jr. provided it in stereo. The energetic third baseman opened New York’s scoring with a solo homer off former Yankee Luis Severino in the second, doubled home two more in the third, walked, scored twice, and even made a diving stop that saved two runs in the sixth.

All told, the trio’s combined line:

• 7‑for‑13, 4 HR, 10 RBIs, 8 runs, 2 BB.

That output alone would have out‑scored Oakland.

Supporting Cast, Same Script

• Trent Grisham didn’t record a hit but coaxed two walks and crossed the plate twice.
• Anthony Volpe singled, swiped third base for his ninth steal, and later scored.
• Ben Rice wore a pitch to keep a rally alive.

Little things, yes, but they padded pitch counts and stretched innings long enough for the big swings that followed.

Oakland’s Offense: One Loud Swing and a Busy Sixth

The A’s managed just five hits:

• William MacIver supplied the highlight with a solo homer that ruined Marcus Stroman’s shutout bid in the fifth.
• Brent Rooker doubled and scored.
• Luis Urias, Tyler Soderstrom, and Drew Clarke each pushed across a run during a four‑run burst in the sixth, a rally fueled more by Yankee wildness than solid contact.

Outside of that single crooked inning, Oakland sent only one man past first base.

Stroman Steals the Show on the Mound

Back from a two‑month stint on the injured list, Marcus Stroman looked nothing like a rehabbing question mark. He breezed through four scoreless frames on just 58 pitches, sprinkling three singles and a pair of walks across five innings. The lone blemish was MacIver’s homer; Stroman’s final line:

• 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K.

Grounders (nine of them) replaced strikeouts, but the right‑hander’s sinker had its old dance, and more importantly, his pitch clock never sped up—a key concern before the game.

The Bullpen Wobble that Didn’t Topple

Manager Aaron Boone rolled the dice with his “dregs,” as one local recap put it. JT Brubaker inherited a 10‑1 lead and promptly gave up four runs on two hits and three walks in the sixth, turning a snoozer into mild intrigue. Ian Hamilton steadied things with 1 ⅔ scoreless, and Clay Holmes closed the door with a clean ninth. In the box, you’ll only remember five Oakland runs, but Boone may remember the stress level.

Severino’s Rough Reunion

For the first time since leaving the Bronx, Luis Severino faced his old club, and the pinstripes were ruthless. His afternoon in numbers:

• 3.2 IP, 5 H, 7 R (5 ER), 3 BB, 3 K, 2 HR.

Command never surfaced—of 95 pitches, just 52 strikes—and hard contact followed every fall‑behind count. The bullpen didn’t fare much better: Harris (3 runs), Ferguson (2), and Erich Alvarado (two scoreless but stressful) all took damage. Only right‑hander Michael Kelly kept a clean sheet.

How the Runs Rolled in

• 2nd: Chisholm’s solo shot (1‑0).
• 3rd: Four‑run barrage capped by Bellinger’s RBI double (5‑0).
• 4th: Judge two‑run homer (7‑0).
• 5th: MacIver homers for Oakland (7‑1) … Bellinger’s three‑run blast answers right back (10‑1).
• 6th: The lone messy frame—Oakland strings together four runs on a double, two walks, two soft singles, and a groundout (10‑5).
• 7th: Judge’s second homer adds two more (12‑5).

After that, both pens traded zeros, and the crowd steered its attention to the out‑of‑town scoreboard and ice‑cream helmets.

Numbers that Matter

• Judge’s 30th bomb came in the Yankees’ 83rd game; only Ruth had reached 30 earlier in as many different seasons.
• Stroman’s ERA tumbled from 11.16 to a far more human 8.16 in one afternoon.
• Yankee hitters with multi‑hit games: Bellinger, Chisholm, Judge.
• Oakland 1‑for‑5 with runners in scoring position; New York 3‑for‑10.
• Time of game: 3 hours, 06 minutes, with an announced crowd of 42,166.

The Standings Ripple

Because Tampa Bay fell in Baltimore and Toronto kept winning, the Yankees exit the day 1.5 games up on the Rays and hold a four‑game cushion over the Blue Jays. Oakland remains anchored to the West cellar, 18 games behind Houston and four behind fourth‑place Los Angeles.

What’s Next

New York wheels north for a crucial four‑game set in Toronto starting Monday night. Carlos Rodón draws the opener, opposed by Alek Manoah. A series win would give the Yankees breathing room before the All‑Star break; anything else tightens an already crowded AL East picture. Oakland continues its trip with four in Houston, a daunting task made trickier by an approaching trade deadline that could strip away what little veteran help remains.

Bottom line

A game that began as a celebration of Jazz Chisholm’s spark and Aaron Judge’s power wound up as a reassuring snapshot of a roster that too often leaned on one bat. Throw in Marcus Stroman’s clean return, sprinkle in Bellinger’s balance of slug and speed, and the Yankees looked—for nine innings, at least—like the complete club their front office imagined last winter.

If they carry that blend of patience and punch into Canada, the rest of the division may start glancing up at the Bronx sky again, wondering how high these Bombers can fly.