WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — When a baseball team scores upwards of ten runs in a game, many tend to take notice. However when a baseball team scores upwards of ten runs in an inning, the world takes notice.

The first two innings of Sunday’s matchup between the New York Yankees and the Athletics started off slow, however when Athletics pitcher Jacob Lopez returned to the pitchers’ mound for the start of the third inning, that quickly changed. 

With the bases loaded and no outs, Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt hit a single, bringing home the first of what would become 13 runs for New York. 

In the next at-bat, designated hitter Ben Rice hit a double, bringing home two runners, Max Schuemann and Austin Wells. 

Following Rice’s at-bat, Aaron Judge singled on a fly ball, bringing home Goldschmidt, giving the Yankees the lead, with a score of 4-3.

Later in the third inning, third baseman José Caballero drew a walk with the bases loaded, bringing home yet another run, the score now 5-3. 

Following Caballero, centerfielder Trent Grisham hit a single, bringing home two runs, the score now 7-3. 

Immediately after Grisham’s single, shortstop Anthony Volpe also batted a single, with runs piling on, the score now 8-3.
Following the single batted by Grisham, Schuemann came back up to bat, and doubled, bringing home two more runs, the score snowballing to 10-3. 

After ten consecutive runs, Goldschmidt would strike out, giving the Athletics their first out of the third inning, 12 at-bats deep.
Following the strikeout, Rice would triple, bringing home two more runs, the score now 12-3.
After Rice’s triple, left fielder Cody Bellinger hit a single, bringing home the final run of the 3rd inning, with the score finally at 13-3. 

The last time the Yankees scored 13 or more runs in a single inning was in June of 2005, against the Tampa Bay Rays. 

Notably, these marks are one run shy of the franchise record, one that has stood since 1920, with the “Bronx Bombers” scoring 14 runs against the Washington Senators in the 5th inning. 

In a post-game interview, Judge had the following to say about the explosive third inning:

“I just felt like we were a little asleep there the first two innings. I expect more out of the guys. I know they expect more of themselves, so, yeah, a couple choice words there. ‘Get it going,’ and the boys responded,” said Judge.

“To bat around with no outs, it’s incredible. That’s what this team is capable of doing. We got our backs up against the wall, find a way to dig ourselves out of it and to continue to keep the pressure on them. We needed all 13 of those runs,” Judge explained.

Sunday was a day of high scoring across Major League Baseball, with the San Francisco Giants claiming victory over the Colorado Rockies with a score of 19-6, and the New York Mets besting the Miami Marlins 10-1. 

Being the 2024 World Series runner-ups, the Yankees are hungry for a return to baseball’s biggest stage, and with 13 runs in a single inning, the Yanks are showing to the world they are ready for any literal curveball thrown their way.