Homer-happy Yankees blow game after powering way to history | Rapid reaction

Didi Gregorius, Neil Walker, Gleyber Torres and Aaron Judge all homered in the Yankees’ win over the Texas Rangers.

ARLINGTON, Texas — These amazing Yankees put on another home run show Wednesday night, and along the way rewrote record books once again.

This should have been a night to celebrate the end of a long, surreal and incredibly impressive roadtrip.

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The Yankees were up 4-0 on the Texas Rangers through 3 1/2 innings with CC Sabathia pitching a no-hitter and leading 10-5 through 4 1/2 on the strength of four more homers.

All that slugging wasn’t enough.

Sabathia collapsed in a big way, then the Yankees bullpen did the same and the end result was a 12-10 setback and a first series loss in six weeks.

This was fun and exciting for a while … and then ugly.

Didi Gregorius, Neil Walker, Gleyber Torres and Aaron Judge all homered for the Yankees, who made it five games in a row with at least five homers, a franchise first.

The Yankees also tied a Major League record for the most homers in five games, a whopping 21.

Also, Torres’ fourth homer in the last three games made him the Yankees’ youngest ever to go deep three games in a row and the third youngest in Major League history behind legendary Hall of Famers Babe Ruth and Ted Williams. Torres turned 21 on Dec. 13.

These last four Yankees homers were trumped by shoddy pitching.

The biggest goat was reliever David Robertson, who imploded after replacing Chasen Shreve in the sixth with two on, one out and the Yankees leading 10-7.

Robertson the first two batters he faced to force in a run, then after getting a strikeout for the second out, Jurickson Profar hit a bases-clearing double to right-center to put Texas in the lead.

“I really just screwed it all up,” Robertson said. “I just couldn’t make any good pitches and we lost the game because of it.”

The Rangers tacked on an insurance run in the eighth facing Dellin Betances and held on to take two of three from the Yankees, whose only previous series losses were losing three of homer at home to Baltimore from April 5-8 and dropping two of three in Boston from April 10-12.

“You’re going to have an occasional night like that,” manager Aaron Boone said. “We turn the page. There are a lot of things to take away from a positive standpoint, but it wasn’t really our night on the mound.”

NOTABLE

— Gregorius has a couple cuts above the inside of his left ankle from being spiked by Isiah Kiner-Falefa during a ninth-inning steal. “It’s swollen, but it’s all right,” Gregorius said. “The cut isn’t deep and he didn’t do it on purpose.”

— Left-hander Ryan Bollinger double-jumped from the Double-A Trenton on Wednesday morning when he got his first big-league call-up, then he was optioned back to Trenton after the game. He did not pitch. 

— Catcher Gary Sanchez was rested the day after he left Tuesday night’s game in the sixth inning due to cramps, but just as a precaution. “Feel like we dodged a bullet,” Boone said. “He came out here and did some agility running workout and checked out ok. He was actually texting me early (Wednesday) morning that he was good to go but I just with this off day (Thursday, it) probably best to hold him back.”

— First baseman Greg Bird was 2-for-5 with a two-run homer in the ninth inning for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in a 7-1 win in Pawtucket on Wednesday night. Boone said there’s a “very good” chance that Bird will be activated from the disabled list on Saturday or Sunday. He’s been out all season recovering from March ankle surgery and is hitting .206 with three homers and seven RBIs in 11 rehab games at three levels since May 10.

–Reliever Tommy Kahnle allowed a run on two hits pitching the fifth inning in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s win over Pawtucket. This was the second rehab outing in three days for Kahnle, who has been on the DL since April 17 with right shoulder tendinitis. The Yanks’ tentative plan has been to activate Kahnle on Friday, but he’s allowed two runs and five hits over three innings in two appearances counting his outing for low A Charleston, so maybe his return will be delayed until he gets sharp in the minors.

–Right-hander Luis Cessa, on the DL since April 18 with a left oblique strain, has progressed to the point he’s throwing off the mound.

LOOKING AHEAD

Friday: Los Angeles Angels at Yankees, 7:05 p.m., YES. LHP Andrew Heaney (2-3, 3.35) vs. RHP Luis Severino (7-1, 2.35).

Saturday: Los Angeles Angels at Yankees, 7:05 p.m., FOX. TBA vs. RHP Sonny Gray (3-3, 5.48).

Sunday: Los Angeles Angels at Yankees, 1:05 p.m., YES. RHP Shohei Ohtani (4-1, 3.35) vs. RHP Masahiro Tanaka (5-2, 4.95).

Randy Miller may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com on Facebook.