After trailing 5-0, Yankees score 21 unanswered runs to beat Rangers

Chris Capuano was awful Tuesday night. The Yankees starter issuied five walks in the first inning that resulted in the Texas Rangers scoring five quick runs, but thanks to a slew of even more awful Texas Rangers pitchers, it didn’t matter.

And Capuano's fail only set up what was to be an astonishing 21-5 Yankees win at Globe Life Park. A weird game that included an 11-run inning, position players pitching and a Triple-A call-up throwing 5 1/3 hitless and scoreless innings for his first big league win.

The Yankees' bats weren't the only things that were hot during the bizarre game. The lop-sided victory was witnessed by a crowd of 28,403 that withered like the Rangers — thanks to a game-time temperature of 98 degrees.

“I don’t know if I have ever been part of that,’’ manager Joe Girardi said after his barnstorming club won for the 13th time in 16 games and remained seven games ahead of the second-place Orioles in the AL East. “Give up five in the first, don’t give up a hit and score 21 runs.’’

From 11-run innings to infielders pitching, the @Yankees and @Rangers played one of 2015’s weirdest games: http://t.co/bbMNakz2Q8

— Cut4 (@Cut4) July 29, 2015

And while Yankees hitters were having their way, pitcher Diego Moreno was just a hair less than perfect after the hole his team dug. Moreno — a Yankees pitcher promoted from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre earlier Tuesday and part of the 2012 A.J. Burnett deal with the Pirates — worked 5 ¹/₃ hitless and scoreless innings for his first big league win in three games.

“I am happy about the opportunity and to be part of the win,’’ said Moreno, who walked Shin-Soo Choo with two outs in the third. It was the only base runner the Rangers had after the first inning.

The 11 runs in the second inning were the most by the Yankees in an inning since July 30, 2011 against Baltimore. The 21 runs are the most by the Yankees since a 22-9 win over the Athletics on Aug. 25, 2011.

Chris Young led the season-high 19-hit attack with a third-inning grand slam and an RBI double in the sixth. Brett Gardner added a two-run homer in the ninth off infielder Adam Rosales, who was on the mound, and Didi Gregorius contributed a career-high four hits and had a three-run triple in the second.

The only Yankees starter to not get a hit was Mark Teixeira who went 0-for-3.