Yankees ride power surge, Rodón to fifth straight win over Athletics

The Yankees kept making an argument that matters far beyond a single Friday night in West Sacramento: this is looking more like a club that can win in October ways. New York beat the Athletics 8-2 at Sutter Health Park, and the shape of the victory mattered as much as the margin. The Yankees struck immediately, scoring four runs in the first inning and chasing early control before the game could settle into anything ordinary.

Paul Goldschmidt supplied the biggest blow, a three-run homer in the opening frame after Aaron Judge singled and Cody Bellinger reached to load the bases. Ryan McMahon added another home run, and Ben Rice kept widening the gap with a four-hit night that included a homer, two doubles and two RBIs. Judge drove in two more runs, giving New York damage throughout the order rather than from one isolated bat. The Yankees finished with 12 hits and no errors, a clean night that fit the profile of a team trying to show it can pressure opponents in more than one way.

Carlos Rodón delivered the kind of start that underpins a serious run. He worked six innings, allowed one earned run on four hits, struck out three and walked two to earn the win. For a Yankees team chasing balance in a crowded American League race, that kind of efficiency matters. New York improved to 35-22 and stayed second in the AL East, 1.5 games behind Tampa Bay.

The broader test is whether this surge is a true correction or simply the result of a softer stretch. The Yankees have now won five straight and outscored opponents 36-6 during that span, a run built on power depth, steadier pitching and a lineup that no longer looks dependent on Judge alone. Against a club that has now lost four in a row and been outscored 30-6 in that skid, the warning is obvious. Still, the Yankees did what October teams usually do: they got an early lead, expanded it with multiple hitters, and let a starter set the tone.

Nick Kurtz hit the Athletics’ lone home run, and Zack Gelof added an RBI single in the ninth, but by then the outcome was settled. Luis Severino took the loss as the Athletics fell to 27-30, 1.5 games behind Seattle in the AL West.