Best-in-MLB Yankees top worst-in-majors A’s on late rally
NEW YORK — The Yankees took advantage of two catcher’s interference calls, a hit batter and a walk to spark a bizarre six-run seventh inning, and Josh Donaldson followed with a goahead, two-run double that led best-in-the-majors New York over the big-league worst Oakland Athletics 9-5 Monday night.
Oakland built a 5-1 lead against Jordan Montgomery behind Elvis Andrus’ tiebreaking, three-run double in a five-run third inning.
Giancarlo Stanton’s fourth-inning home run and Aaron Judge’s fifth-inning RBI single started the Yankees to their 23rd comefrom-behind win.
DJ LeMahieu walked against Adam Oller with one out in the seventh. Judge hit a grounder to third, perhaps hard enough for a double play, but plate umpire Manny Gonzalez immediately signaled interference on catcher Sean Murphy.
A.J. Puk (1-1) hit Anthony Rizzo near the right elbow with his first pitch, loading the bases, and when Stanton fouled off a 1-0 pitch, Yankees manager Aaron Boone asked for a video review that led to another interference call on Murphy, forcing in a run and cutting New York’s deficit to 5-4.
Donaldson lined an 0-2 fastball at the letters into left field for a 6-5 lead, Jose Trevino hit another tworun double with two outs against Austin Pruitt and scored on Marwin Gonzalez’s single.
Albert Abreu (1-0) struck out four in 2 1/3 hitless innings.
New York, coming off a four-game split with AL West leader Houston, improved to 54-20 while Oakland is just 25-50 and has lost 21 of its last 25 games.
While the Yankees lead the majors in scoring and home runs, Oakland is 29th in both and is last in batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage. The A’s bullpen has a 4.49 ERA that began the night 26th.
Montgomery gave up all five runs and six hits in 6 2/3 innings. He is 3-0 in 12 starts since a April 21 loss at the Tigers.
Paul Blackburn, 5-0 on the road this season and 1-3 at home, tied his season high with seven strikeouts while allowing three runs and five hits in five innings.
Rizzo ended an 0-for-19 slide in the first, reaching 20 home runs for the ninth season with a solo shot that gave him 50 RBIs.
Oakland tied it in the third when Ramón Laureano hit a drive with two on that hit the top of the 8-foot, 5-inch wall in left and bounced back into the field. Christian Bethancourt, who started on first, jogged to third and failed to score.