Anthony Rizzo's two-run homer caps four-run first inning in Yankees' win over A's

The Yankees have lived a few different lifetimes the past two days.

They were shut out by the lowly A’s on Monday but put together a hitting clinic in the first inning of their 4-3 win against Oakland Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.

On Tuesday afternoon, DJ LeMahieu was all set to come back from his broken foot, likely by next week. By Tuesday evening, he was pulled from his rehab assignment and is due for more tests in New York Wednesday – undoubtedly extending his timeline.

Somewhere in all that, Aaron Boone was ejected for something he didn’t do (Monday), and Aaron Judge started looking like himself again (Tuesday). Early on, the Yankees reclaimed some of the alchemy that has made them look like a lot more than the sum of their parts. Later in the night, they showcased some of the flaws that allowed them to get shut out in two of their previous three games.

That’s a whole lot of whiplash, but all that matters, really, is that they’re 16-8 – making this just the fourth time in the last 21 years that they’ve started the season with that record or better.

“Really strong first inning and then the pitching and defense was able to make it stand up,” Boone said, by way of understatement.

The Yankees scored all four of their runs in the first inning and then went 1-for-21 for the rest of the game – indicative of the offensive malaise that has often afflicted the top of their lineup so far this season. Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo collected two RBIs apiece in a four-run first. Meanwhile, a slumping Judge doubled, consistently made solid contact, and made two excellent plays chasing down long fly balls in the eighth to preserve a one-run lead.

Clay Holmes pitched a perfect ninth for his ninth save of the year.

“We just didn’t let [A’s starter Paul Blackburn] get settled in,” Stanton said. “After the first, he got settled in a little bit, so we got on him early and it was the difference maker."

The A’s actually struck first, mostly thanks to a misplay by Juan Soto in right. Marcus Stroman got two quick outs before walking Brent Rooker. Seth Brown then lined a ball to right that likely could have been caught, but Soto’s awkward dive attempt allowed it to drop in for an RBI double.

But then the (short-lived) hit parade began against an A’s righty who had been all but untouchable up until Tuesday. Soto singled, Judge doubled to the corner in left and Stanton drove them both in with a double – good for a 2-1 advantage. Rizzo then eviscerated a letter-high fastball, 385 feet to right for a two-run homer – his second of the year.

Shea Langeliers ripped a solo homer against Stroman in the second, and the A’s got to within one run in the fourth when Lawrence Butler put a charge on a slider near his shoetops – literally a foot off the ground – and drove it 363 feet to right center to make it 4-3.

Stroman had far from his best stuff, but ground it out for 5 1/3 innings, allowing the three runs and seven hits with a walk and nine strikeouts.

That was the good news for the Yankees. The bad stuff happened all the way in Pennsylvania.

Prior to the game, an optimistic Boone said that LeMahieu was slated for about four rehab games and could possibly rejoin the team in Baltimore next week. You can probably scratch that off the schedule, though.

After striking out in his first at-bat with Double-A Somerset, LeMahieu played half an inning at third base and was removed with soreness in his injured right foot. He left for New York and will be reevaluated Wednesday.

It was the latest setback in what’s been a snakebitten few seasons for LeMahieu, who signed a six-year, $90 million contract prior to 2021 but missed significant time with calf and quadriceps injuries last year, and then fouled a ball off his foot in spring training. The injury was originally deemed a bone bruise before the break was discovered.

“I know how much he loves this team, the clubhouse, the game and how he’s pushing to get back so that’s tough,” Rizzo said. “It’s not fun but it’s about getting him healthy and getting him right.”

By Laura Albanese

laura.albanese@newsday.com@AlbaneseLaura

Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.