With the temperature approaching triple digits yesterday in The Bronx, it seemed reasonable fans would leave their seats in search of relief.
But they just as easily could have been running for cover, as nine home runs were hit, a record at the new Stadium, in the Yankees’ 10-5 loss to the Braves.
“It was uncomfortable, but it was uncomfortable for everybody,” said Phil Hughes, who surrendered a career-high four homers in just 4 1/3 innings. “I have to do a better job. I’m sure CC [Sabathia] would have loved to pitch today. It would be 110 and he’d be throwing 98. It’s not an issue.”
And although giving up long balls continues to be an issue for Hughes, that wasn’t the only reason the Yankees lost consecutive games for the first time since dropping two in Anaheim on May 28-29.
Despite hitting four homers of their own — all solo shots against Atlanta starter Tommy Hanson — they were again unable to come up with hits in critical situations late in the game.
Alex Rodriguez, who hit a homer to right in the sixth, had a chance to tie the game in the seventh. But with runners on the corners and one out, Rodriguez grounded into a double play, and then the previously sterling bullpen was touched for three runs in the eighth.
“That was a game-changing at-bat,” Rodriguez said of the grounder to short against Chad Durbin. “It was a sinker, a pitcher’s pitch. It’s not an acceptable at-bat.”
The score stayed 6-5 and with runs coming quickly — the nine homers matched the most ever hit in The Bronx — the Yankees remained solidly in the game.
But Boone Logan, who had been unscored upon in his previous 13 appearances, faltered.
The lefty had only given up one home run this season before he faced Jason Heyward after intentionally walking Dan Uggla. Freddie Freeman grounded to first — which could have been an inning-ending double play if Eric Chavez had been able to field it cleanly — and Heyward came up.
His two-run shot made it 9-5.
“It was a good pitch, just not at that time in the count,” Logan said of his 2-2 slider to Heyward. “I had him where I wanted him and tried to put it in the dirt, but I’ve been struggling lately finishing off lefties. … I know he’s a strong kid, but I thought it was a double in the gap or maybe an out. It didn’t even sound good coming off the bat, but it landed four or five rows up. It’s a short porch.”
One that both teams took advantage of.
“I didn’t get the sense that balls were flying out,’’ center fielder Curtis Granderson said. “Guys hit it well and some of those balls to right wouldn’t be homers anywhere else but here. It had nothing to do with the weather.”
Despite Hughes’ home run problem — he has given up a major-league leading 19 on the season — Rodriguez was confident he would get something done in the seventh and turn a loss into a win.
“I chased a pitch,” Rodriguez said. “You don’t have to have home run or a double. We always talk about little things. A sacrifice fly right there, at the minimum, is what you need.”
And while he has struggled for much of this season, he felt he could have erased at least some of that if he had come through in that situation.
“People make a lot about numbers,” Rodriguez said. “At the end of the day, none of it matters. What matters is games like today, at-bats like today. Those at-bats, you want to be productive and today I wasn’t.”
dan.martin@nypost.com