Sacramento A’s Jacob Wilson (5) and Lawrence Butler (4) both greet Nick Kurtz (16) in the top of the sixth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in New York (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

NEW YORK.—After getting shutout by the New York Yankees on Friday night, the Athletics returned the favor on Saturday, beating the home team 7-0 at Yankee Stadium.

A’s designated hitter Brent Rooker hit his 17th homer of the season in the fourth inning and ended Yankees starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt’s scoreless streak at 28 1/3 innings.

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay, who talked about the lacking offense in the 3-0 loss in the series opener, credited Rooker for getting the scoring streak going in game two.

“It took a big hit, right? I mean, it took it from the guy that’s the leader, the guy that we lean on for offense… is the All-Star and got a hit, with 39, 40 home runs last year,” Kotsay said of Rooker.

“So for him to get that big hit for us, you could, like he talked about, feel the deep breathe and the sigh of, ‘OK, here we go,’ and that started our offense today and I think the at-bats just got better and better.”

In the sixth, Nick Kurtz homered on a fly ball to right field and Lawrence Butler and Jacob Wilson scored, boosting the A’s up 4-0.

A’s starting pitcher JP Sears, who is a former Yankee, allowed two hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Kotsay said it was a “big start” for Sears and will hopefully help him bounce back and get some momentum.

Sears said, “It was fun to be out there, obviously Yankee Stadium has got a lot of good fans and a lot of good vibes and they’re a great team, so anytime you’re able to have a good outing, obviously it’s fun.”

In the eighth, Tyler Soderstrom went out on a sacrifice fly to left field and Rooker scored, making it 5-0 A’s. Then Austin Wynns singled on a sharp line drive to center field and Kurtz and Max Muncy scored, giving the A’s a 7-0 lead.

Clarke took his fourth loss of the season and just the second time this year that he has allowed more than three runs in a start.

The A’s (34-51) are 2-3 in their nine-game road trip and 2-5 in their last seven games. They improved to 5-13 versus the Yankees (47-35) since 2023.

The last game of the series at Yankee Stadium takes place on Sunday with A’s right-handed pitcher Luis Severino (2-8 ERA 4.83), another former Yankee, facing Yankees right-handed pitcher Marcus Stroman (0-1 ERA 11.57). First pitch is at 10:35 a.m. PT.

Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.

⚡Craft cocktails? Check.
🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah.
🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.

Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.

Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.

📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street

Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm

Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.