Lawrence Butler with his mom after she threw out the ceremonial pitch on Sunday. (Photo: Athletics on X)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

WEST SACRAMENTO — Mother’s Day 2025 featured the rubber game between the Athletics and Yankees at Sutter Health Park. The two prior games were both slugfests, and Sunday was no different. The Yankees defeated the A’s behind an offensive outburst, 12-2, in the matinee affair.

Luis Severino struggled against his former team, lasting only four innings. He gave up eight runs on nine Yankees hits while walking two and striking out two. It was his worst performance in green and gold, as he clearly didn’t have his best stuff—and the Yankees took full advantage. They scored five in the second inning and added another run in the third to jump out to an early lead. Severino gave up two singles to start the fifth inning and was then replaced by Mitch Spence out of the bullpen. Spence allowed both inherited runners to score, finishing Severino’s line at eight earned runs.

“I think walking the bottom of the lineup—I can’t do that. If I walk those guys, I have to face the top of the lineup with runners in scoring position,” Severino said to reporters after the loss.

Asked if he’s had to make any adjustments pitching at Sutter Health Park, Severino said, “I mean, it’s tough to pitch here. Like I said before, you aren’t used to… you have a routine your whole life and you come here, you work around whatever you have here… this is what we have, and we have to do whatever we have to and go out and compete.”

Severino also described how he’s struggled to stay active between innings without access to the clubhouse nearby. “When you pitch, usually the clubhouse is right next to the dugout. If you watch every starting pitcher, you won’t see them in the dugout. They’re done—they’ve gone inside… go inside, watch the game on the TV, get on the bike a little bit, and do something. It’s tough sometimes to be in the dugout when we score four runs, to sit there and do nothing because there’s nothing to do right there. It’s just different. Everybody’s different… for me, it’s being able to have the gym right there…”

Severino has not minced words about the challenges of pitching at Sutter Health Park. In defense of Luis, he’s not wrong. Per Statcast, Sutter Health Park has a 111 park rating—where 100 is average. The park also boasts a 118 home run factor, meaning players who compete elsewhere and in West Sacramento hit 18% more home runs at Sutter Health Park. That ranks it as the eighth most favorable home run park in MLB.

On the offensive side, the A’s managed a run in both the fourth and fifth innings—a Miguel Andujar RBI single and a JJ Bleday solo home run, respectively. That was all the offense they could muster, tallying just seven hits on the day.

The rest of the way, the A’s bullpen did what it could to keep the game close. Mitch Spence, a Rule 5 pickup for the A’s in 2023 who relieved Severino in the fifth, struggled in his two innings of work. He gave up three runs (two charged to Severino) on four hits, striking out four and walking one.

Elvis Alvarado made his second major league appearance on Sunday, pitching one inning and giving up one run on two hits while striking out two.

T.J. McFarland, who followed Alvarado, recorded only one out before exiting with what the team announced as a left groin injury. The 35-year-old, 6’3” lefty walked off under his own power and was relieved by Hogan Harris.

Harris pitched well aside from two walks, finishing with 1.2 innings of scoreless, hitless work.

The A’s went 2-4 on a disappointing homestand that manager Mark Kotsay described as such: “It was a tough homestand… we will learn from the homestand… on what we need to do to improve and turn the page. Day off tomorrow is going to be a good day off—guys are going to need it—and we will get back after it in L.A.”

Luis Severino (1-4, 4.70 ERA) was tagged with the loss, while Yankees starter Ryan Yarbrough (1-0, 3.70 ERA) earned the win.

The A’s fell to 21-20 while the Yankees improved to 23-17.

The A’s will have the day off Monday before taking on the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium at 7:10 PM PST. The A’s have yet to announce a starter, while the Dodgers are slated to send Landon Knack (2-0, 4.61 ERA) to the mound.

Note of the day: The A’s are still waiting on the first MLB home run from first baseman Nick Kurtz. Known for his power in the minors, Kurtz has yet to lift the ball much for the A’s. He has one double and one triple in 52 at-bats but no other extra-base hits.