by Amed Rosario gave the Yankees the lead early, then ripped the game back late. And if the Yankees still want to pretend third base is not a real conversation, that is getting harder to sell.
Let’s be real.
This game started off looking like Amed Rosario’s night almost immediately.
He gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead in the second inning with a solo shot to left, and for a moment it felt like maybe that would be enough to let them settle in and control the game.
Then the third inning happened.
The Athletics punched right back with 3 runs, Cam Schlittler got hit for his first real damage of the season, and just like that the Yankees were trailing 3-1.
From there, the whole thing got frustrating fast.
The offense had traffic here and there, but not enough execution. Too many empty at-bats. Too many spots where it felt like they were one hit away from changing the game and just could not get it.
And that is what made the eighth inning feel so big.
Will you accept this Rosario?🌹 pic.twitter.com/r0SQEfsPia
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 7, 2026
Rosario Hit The First Big Shot — And The Last One
That is what matters here.
Rosario did not just come up late and save the night. He gave the Yankees their first lead too.
First, the second-inning solo homer to make it 1-0.
Then after the A’s jumped ahead 3-1 in the third and held that lead deep into the game, Rosario came back up in the eighth with the Yankees finally threatening again.
Big G knocks in a run 👊 pic.twitter.com/KJnUkHwT1q
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 8, 2026
Cody Bellinger singled. Ben Rice singled. Giancarlo Stanton punched a run home to make it 3-2.
Now the game had life.
It’s-a me, Rosario! 😤 pic.twitter.com/P5jyDG0QaT
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 8, 2026
Then Rosario got a splitter from Mark Leiter Jr. and crushed it to left for the go-ahead three-run homer.
Just like that, 3-2 became 5-3.
That was the swing that ended the whole thing.
Rosario finished 2-for-4 with 2 home runs, 4 RBIs, and 2 runs scored.
He put the Yankees ahead early, and when the offense spent most of the rest of the night drifting, he came back and ripped the game back from Oakland again.
This Is Why The Third Base Conversation Is Getting Louder
And yes, here comes the obvious part.
Because when Rosario does this while Ryan McMahon is sitting at .087, people are going to talk.
They should talk.
McMahon has 2 hits in 23 at-bats. The Yankees spent the spring trying to get more out of him offensively. They worked on him. They tried to clean things up. They tried to give this thing a real chance.
So far, it has not shown up in games.
Meanwhile Rosario keeps looking like the more dangerous bat and, honestly, the more useful player right now.
The Yankees may still prefer to view Rosario as more of a matchup piece or a bat with a specific role.
Fine.
But nights like this make that feel less convincing.
Because this was not some little bench contribution in a blowout. This was Rosario carrying the offense in a 1-run game and deciding it with 2 swings.
You cannot ignore that forever.
The Yankees Offense Was Quiet For Way Too Long
And that is the other story here.
For most of the night, the Yankees really did not do much.
They finished 0-for-12 with runners on base before the eighth-inning rally started to finally break through. Aaron Judge did not have a hit. There were chances, but very little rhythm. It felt clunky.
The eighth was the first time they really forced the issue.
Bellinger opened it with a single. Rice followed with a single of his own. Stanton got the Yankees within 1 with the RBI knock into center.
Then Rosario blew the game open.
That is the type of inning good teams find even on nights when they do not look sharp.
The Yankees were not great offensively for most of this game.
They were good enough when it mattered most.
Ben Rice Keeps Being In The Middle Of Good Things
And Rice keeps showing up in these spots.
He had 1 hit and 2 walks, and he was right in the middle of the eighth-inning rally again. He keeps getting on base. He keeps making pitchers work. He keeps looking like a real part of this lineup instead of some extra piece you just hope survives.
That matters.
Especially on a night where Judge was quiet and the Yankees needed somebody else to help create traffic.
Rice did that again.
Schlittler Finally Got Tagged A Little — But He Still Showed Something
Cam Schlittler gave up his first 3 runs of the season, so no, this was not one of those clean, easy outings he had been stacking.
But there was still something to like here.
He went 5 innings, allowed 5 hits, struck out 7, and walked nobody.
That last part stands out.
Even when the A’s got to him in the third inning with the Nick Kurtz double and the Tyler Soderstrom RBI hit, Schlittler did not lose the zone. He did not start giving away free bases. He still attacked hitters.
That is the kind of outing you can live with.
Not perfect. Not dominant. But very much good enough to keep the Yankees in the game.
The Bullpen Did Its Job Again
And once the Yankees got to the bullpen portion of the night, they were in good shape.
Fernando Cruz came up huge by striking out Lawrence Butler with 2 on to end the eighth. That was a massive moment in the game.
Then David Bednar came in and threw a clean ninth for his fifth save.
No mess. No extra drama. No late collapse.
Just finish it and move on.
That has been a very nice theme for this team early.
The Win Was Nice — The Bigger Question Is Still Sitting There
So yes, the Yankees won 5-3.
Yes, they moved to 8-2.
Yes, Rosario was the clear star of the night.
But beyond the comeback, beyond the record, beyond the two home runs, this game shoved the same question right back into the spotlight.
What exactly are the Yankees doing at third base?
Because one guy is hitting .087.
The other guy just gave you a 1-0 lead in the second and then came back in the eighth and buried the game with a three-run bomb.
That is a real conversation.
And after this one, it got a lot harder to avoid.
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