New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge bats during the third inning against the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, in New York. Judge reached first base on a fielding error by Jace Peterson, and Jose Trevino scored. (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

NEW YORK.—Rookie Jordan Diaz hit three homers at Yankee Stadium, but the Oakland Athletics still lost 10-5 on Tuesday night to the New York Yankees who welcomed their Captain Aaron Judge back off the injured list.

Diaz, a 22-year-old second baseman from Colombia, hit a solo shot in the fourth inning. He then had a leadoff drive in the seventh, as well as a two-run homer in the eighth.

“That was a pretty special night for Jordan, coming into Yankee Stadium,” said A’s manager Mark Kotsay. “Pretty sure it’s his first time here, to have the game he had tonight says something about the young man. He’s got a special tool and he can hit and he showed it tonight.”

In the second inning, Jace Peterson singled on a fly ball to right field and allowed JJ Bleday to score, putting the A’s up 1-0.

Judge, who had two RBI in his return from a strained right hip injury, reached on a fielder’s choice in the third and allowed Jose Trevino to score and tie the game. Anthony Rizzo singled on a line drive to right field and Aaron Hicks scored. Gleyber Torres singled to center field and Judge scored.

Harrison Bader singled on a line drive to center field and Rizzo scored, then Jake Bauers hit a sacrifice fly and Bader scored, boosting the Yankees to a 5-1 lead.

In the fifth, Torres hit a homer and Rizzo scored, expanding New York’s lead to 7-2. After Diaz’s second homer, Bauers hit a home run in the seventh and Bader scored, making it 9-3.

Judge hit a sacrifice fly and allowed Anthony Volpe to score in the eighth, bringing the Yankees to 10-5 over the A’s.

A’s right-hander Drew Rucinski in his third start of the season allowed seven runs and six hits in five innings.

“It’s baseball, just got to keep grinding, you know,” said Rucinski, adding that pitching a “minimum five innings is always the goal, it would be nice to get six”.

Kotsay said Oakland’s at-bat’s were “great” and they had 10 hits, the same number as the Yankees.

“We actually out-homered them tonight with Jordan’s three,” Kotsay said. “Yeah we’re on the losing end of it, so again it really comes down to the three bases and the extra outs, in this game we ended up on the wrong end of it.”

The A’s are 2-3 in their six-game road trip. The three-game series at Yankee Stadium wraps up on Wednesday. First pitch is at 9:35 a.m. PT. The A’s will start Kyle Muller (1-2 ERA 6.62) and for the Yankees Jhony Brito (2-3 ERA 6.08).