Marcus Stromanallowed one run and three hits in his return to theNew York Yankees' starting rotation, pitching five innings ina 12-5 winover theAthleticson Sunday. Stroman threw 74 pitches, 42 for strikes, and walked two batters. The lone run he allowed came on aWillie MacIverhome run in the fifth inning, leaving an 87.4 mph sinker up in the strike zone after a 10-pitch battle. "I thought he was terrific," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after the game. "A little bit unknown going out there with his build-up and everything, coming off a tough one [in his last minor-league rehab start]. I thought he got after it really good." "Got pitches where he needed to, I thought he had a presence on both sides of the plate," he continued. "He was a little unpredictable, used his sinker, used his cutter and the different kind of breaking balls." Manager Aaron Boone with@M_Marakovits& the media following today's victory.#YANKSonYESpic.twitter.com/7Lxag9g6TS — YES Network (@YESNetwork)June 29, 2025 Stroman made his first start since April 11, after which he wenton the injured listwith left knee inflammation. Prior to that, he didn't pitch well in his first three appearances of the season, accumulating an 11.57 ERA with 12 hits and seven walks in 9 1/3 innings. He suffereda setback with discomfort in the kneewhile throwing batting practice on May 9, which delayed a minor-league rehab assignment until June 11. Stroman didn't pitch particularly well in three rehab starts, compiling a 6.97 ERA. That raised some concern as to how he might perform upon returning to the Yankees' rotation. But Sunday's outing may have eased any anxieties there. Though he didn't need the help, Stroman received plenty of run support from his lineup, scoring six runs versus Athletics starterLuis Severino. Jazz Chisholm Jr.provided the early offense with a second-inning home run and two-run triple in the third.Aaron Judgeadded two more runs in the fourth with his 29th homer of the season. AndCody Bellingerhit a three-run shot to give the Yankees a 10-1 lead when Stroman was finished. The Captain CRUSHES 💥Aaron Judge blasts home run No. 29 in the Bronx!pic.twitter.com/SYBw0eGyf4 — MLB (@MLB)June 29, 2025 The Athletics roughed up relieverJT Brubakerin the sixth, putting four consecutive runners on base and scoring two runs. Brubaker helped out by hittingMax Muncyand walkingTyler Soderstrom, followed by the Athletics adding two more runs on RBI groundouts fromLuis UríasandDenzel Clarke. Brubaker lasted only one-third of an inning, allowing four runs with three walks and two hits. However, the Yankees had too big a lead to overcome. Bellinger finished 3-for-5 with three RBI and Chisholm batted 2-for-3, driving in four runs. He also made several nice defensive plays at third base. Judge added his 30th homer in the eighth inning, going 2-for-4 with four RBI. He's now two behindMLB leader Cal Raleighin homers as the All-Star break approaches. With the win, the Yankees (48-35) maintained first place in the AL East andboosted their lead to 1.5 gamesafter theTampa Bay Rays' 5-1 lossto the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday.
