Brent Rooker delivered a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the ninth inning, giving the Athletics a 3-2 comeback win over the New York Yankees on Wednesday night.

Nick Kurtz led off the ninth with a single off David Bednar (0-1), and Shea Langeliers followed with a double. Rooker then lifted a flyball to center field, allowing Kurtz to score easily.

The A’s bullpen was stellar, tossing four hitless innings after Luis Severino’s start. Elvis Alvarado (2-0) recorded two outs, and Joel Kuhnel pitched a perfect ninth for his first save since 2022 and second of his career.

Severino, facing his former team, struggled early. He allowed two runs in the first inning on three straight singles, including Cody Bellinger’s blooper, and walked in a run with eight consecutive balls. The A’s challenged the last pitch to J.C. Escarra, which ABS showed was 2.1 inches above the strike zone.

The A’s tied the game 2-2 in the fourth inning. Jeff McNeil, celebrating his 34th birthday, drove in a run with a single, and Will Warren’s wild pitch allowed another run to score. McNeil is now 8 for 16 on his birthday.

New York’s Ryan McMahon made his first career start at shortstop, recording five assists but going 0 for 3 at the plate. He is 2 for 26 this season.

Yankees pitcher Ben Rice struck out four times, the first such game of his career. The Yankees went 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position, dropping to 22 for 97 (.227) on the season.

In the third inning, Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake was ejected by plate umpire Carlos Torres for arguing ball/strike calls.

Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe, recovering from left shoulder surgery on Oct. 14, could begin a minor league rehab assignment next week, manager Aaron Boone said.

The series concludes Thursday with left-handers Ryan Weathers (0-0) for New York and Jeffrey Springs (1-0) for Oakland.