Aaron Judge hit the third of three straight homers for the Yankees to open the game before adding a grand slam in the third inning and a two-run shot in the fourth as New York hit a team-record nine homers in an 20-9 rout over the visiting Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday afternoon.
The Yankees started a game with three consecutive homers for the first time in team history as Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger and Judge hit first-pitch homers off former Yankee Nestor Cortes (0-1) for a 3-0 lead three pitches into the contest.
Austin Wells hit New York’s fourth homer with two outs in the first off Cortes’ 16th pitch.
After Anthony Volpe went deep in the second, Judge hit his ninth career grand slam with nobody out in the third on a drive to left center against Connor Thomas. Jazz Chisholm Jr. followed Judge’s blast with New York’s seventh homer.
Judge produced his third career three-homer game when he homered to center in the fourth. He drove in a career-high eight runs by adding an RBI double in the sixth.
Pinch hitter Oswald Peraza added a homer as the Yankees became the third team in major league history with nine homers. The Toronto Blue Jays hit 10 against the Baltimore Orioles on Sept. 14, 1987, and the Cincinnati Reds slugged nine at the Philadelphia Phillies on Sept. 4, 1999.
Besides the homers, Bellinger drove in three runs by adding a sacrifice fly and a pair of RBI singles.
Max Fried benefitted from the barrage in his New York debut and pitched around five errors, including his own throwing miscue. Shortstop Anthony Volpe committed a throwing error, third baseman Pablo Reyes was charged with two errors, and Chisholm made an error at second base.
Fried allowed six runs (two earned) on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. Yoendrys Gomez (1-0) followed Fried and was awarded the win.
Cortes tied a career worst by allowing eight runs on six hits in two-plus innings.
Rhys Hoskins, Vinny Capra, and Christian Yelich each hit RBI singles for the Brewers. Brice Turang added a two-run homer as the Brewers finished with 13 hits.
Goldschmidt started the barrage by sending a fastball into the Milwaukee bullpen beyond the left-center field fence. Bellinger followed by hitting another fastball into the right-center field bleachers and Judge drove a cutter 468 feet into the left field stands.
