Quick recovery after getting hit with a piece of a splintered bat the New York Yankees Gio Urshela hit a eighth inning go ahead home run off Oakland A’s pitcher Jesus Luzardo at Yankee Stadium in New York on Sat Jun 20, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

NEW YORK–The Oakland A’s had their seven-game winning streak – the longest active in the league – snapped on Saturday afternoon by a relentless New York Yankees team that won 7-5 at Yankee Stadium. Yankees third baseman Gio Urshela in the second inning swung at a pitch that splintered his bat and Urshela said a piece of the bat bounced off his eye and didn’t stick, “I saw just the piece of wood come into my eye.” said Urshela “I didn’t even see the ball and where I was running. Just my eye, started to feel like a little pain. Thank God (I was OK).”

A’s right-handed pitcher Chris Bassitt held the Yankees to two runs in six innings and had five strikeouts. Urshela hit a two-out RBI single off Bassitt and Gary Sanchez hit a homer.

Tony Kemp, a star of Friday’s 5-3 A’s victory, hit a home run on a fly ball to right center field in the first inning to put the A’s up 1-0. Matt Chapman hit a homer on a fly ball to center field in the fourth inning to extend Oakland’s lead to 2-0. But Urshela singled on a sharp line drive to center field and allowed Aaron Judge to score, cutting Oakland’s lead to 2-1.

In the fifth inning, Matt Olson singled on a sharp ground ball to center field and Elvis Andrus and Mark Canha scored to boost the A’s to 4-1.

But the Yankees rallied starting in the sixth inning, with a homer by Gary Sanchez that cut the A’s lead to 4-2. In the seventh inning, Judge singled on a sharp line drive to Canha and Clint Frazier scored, narrowing Oakland’s lead to 4-3. Giancarlo Stanton singled on a ground ball to right field and Judge scored, tying the game at 4-4.

In the eighth inning, Urshela hit a home run on a fly ball to center field to give the Yankees a 5-4 lead. LeMahieu singled on a line drive to left field and Tyler Wade and Clint Frazier scored, lifting New York to 7-4.

Oakland’s Ramon Laureano in the ninth inning singled on a ground ball to right field and Canha scored to cut New York’s lead to 7-5, but it was too little too late.

Oakland’s bullpen was unable to hold on to their late lead. Right-handed pitcher Burch Smith allowed one run and left in the seventh inning with two outs and a runner. Right-handed pitcher Yusmeiro Petit filled in but LeMahieu struck a single off him.

A’s manager Bob Melvin said that he used the relievers who were available and was going to use Petit in the lineup.

The A’s lost for only the third time in 16 games this month. They dropped to 34-3 when holding the lead after seven innings.

Saturday’s attendance was 23,985, slightly lower than Friday night which was the first time that coronavirus attendance limitations were lifted at Yankee Stadium.

First pitch for the third and final game in the split series is Sunday at 10:05 a.m.