NEW YORK – The bases were full as Austin Wells prepared for his second plate appearance of a memorable seventh inning. And as the Yankees’ catcher limbered up in the on-deck circle, he thought about the at-bats that had kept the line moving – seemingly, one after another.
It had been fun to watch, Wells said; so, too, would be what he was about to deliver. Wells launched his first career grand slam, transforming Yankee Stadium into a party zone with a liner into the right-field seats to cap a remarkable 10-run frame in the Yankees’ 12-3 victory over the Padres on Tuesday evening.
“We’ve got some really good hitters,” Wells said. “I don’t know if there’s one thing that made it great, but I think [we’re] swinging at strikes and being ready to go.”
The Yankees sent 13 men to the plate in the seventh, the club’s biggest inning since July 28, 2015, when they scored 11 runs in the second inning of a 21-5 victory over the Rangers in Arlington.
Snapping a three-game losing streak with their unexpectedly lopsided win, the Yanks began the seventh inning trailing by a run, and almost everyone in the lineup helped the cause. Jasson Domínguez opened the attack with a hustle double off reliever Adrian Morejon.
“It’s fun to watch him run. He can really go,” said manager Aaron Boone. “Looking back, it was a really big play. It kind of set the tone for that inning, and then great at-bats followed him.”
The hit was a welcome sight for the switch-hitting Domínguez, who has opened the year 4-for-38 against left-handed pitching.
“I know I’ve been struggling from the right side,” Domínguez said. “Getting that hit from that side means a lot. … The whole team putting good at-bats together, it was a really good one.”
Anthony Volpe followed with a knock, and Wells’ ground-ball single tied the game. Trent Grisham worked a bases-loaded walk against former Yankee Wandy Peralta that put New York ahead, and the Bombers weren’t done -- not even close.
Ben Rice banged a two-run double down the right-field line, Cody Bellinger and Volpe added run-scoring hits and Wells collected his fifth RBI of the inning as he sent a Peralta changeup over the wall for the catcher’s seventh home run of the season.
“When our lineup turns over like that, it’s really contagious,” Volpe said.
Wells’ five RBIs were a career high and the most by a Yankee in a single inning since Alex Rodriguez collected seven in the sixth inning on Oct. 4, 2009 at Tampa Bay.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever had five RBIs in a game before [at any level],” Wells said.
The night represented a rare stumble for San Diego’s relievers, who came into Tuesday’s action having thrown 14 2/3 scoreless innings. The Padres’ bullpen ERA rose from 1.68 to 2.34 – still the best in the Majors.
Somehow, the Yanks inflicted all the damage with Aaron Judge only in a supporting role, receiving an intentional walk that placed him on third base for Wells’ slam.
Judge did homer earlier in the game, claiming a share of the Major League home run lead with his 12th, a solo fourth-inning blast off former teammate Michael King.
"I threw a middle-middle fastball to the best hitter in baseball,” King said. “I'm not expecting to get that one back."
For Judge, the homer tied the Mariners’ Cal Raleigh and the Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber (12) for the most among big leaguers, with an important caveat: Remember, Judge lost a replay-reviewed homer on April 20 against the Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla.
Judge also extended his on-base streak to 32 games, tying for the third longest of his career.
Clarke Schmidt started for New York and held San Diego to two runs and seven hits over six innings.
Schmidt committed a bases-loaded balk in the fourth inning, then permitted a Jason Heyward sacrifice fly, but the righty was otherwise sharp. Fernando Cruz picked up his first victory despite allowing a go-ahead Fernando Tatis Jr. double in the sixth.
“We’ve had some really good, close games this past week. It just felt like the chips were going to fall our way one of these nights,” Schmidt said. “What a performance from the offense; that inning was very impressive. When they’re clicking like that, it’s a lot of fun to be on this side.”