The Yankees hit three home runs to bludgeon the Astros 9-3 on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees (25-13) are 12 games over .500 for the first time this season.
Here are the takeaways…
-The Yankees used the long ball to beat up on their hated rivals. It started with Juan Soto‘s two-run shot in the first to put the Yanks up 2-1. And then solo homers from Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton gave them a commanding 5-1 lead. It’s the first time all three sluggers hit a home run in the same game.
Soto also drove in a run on a single and another on a groundout. He’d end his night with an RBI single in the eighth inning. The left-hander finished 3-for-5 with five RBI. In six games against the Astros this season, Soto is 15-for-26 with two home runs, three walks and nine RBI.
-Judge’s slump is officially over after he went 3-for-5. Along with his solo shot, the Yankees Captain hit two doubles and drove in two additional runs.
Over his last five games, Judge is 9-for-17 with two home runs and six RBI.
-Carlos Rodon was on it on Wednesday. He gave up a first-inning solo shot to Kyle Tucker — the slugger’s third home run in as many games — but settled down. Once the Yankees gave him the lead, Rodon filled up the strike zone and got through innings with low pitch counts.
He pitched into trouble in the fifth after allowing the first two batters on before he got Jake Myers to ground out, Jose Altuve to fly out and Tucker to strike out swinging.
Rodon would pitch into the seventh inning but couldn’t finish after giving up a double and triple with one out. Manager Aaron Boone pulled his southpaw. After giving up six runs in his last start, Rodon went 6.1 innings (100 pitches/69 strikes) giving up two runs on seven hits and striking out seven batters.
–Austin Wells had a good day at the plate. The left-handed catcher went 2-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored. On his first double, it bounced towards the wall along the right-field foul line but a kid in the stands reached over to grab it on a bounce. The ball looked as if it was going to bounce into the corner and had the potential to score Gleyber Torres from first. The Yanks would not be able to cash in that run.
-The Yankees bullpen was not as dominant as it has been. The combination of Caleb Ferguson, Victor Gonzales and Ian Hamilton gave up two runs on four hits in 2.2 innings of work. Hamilton, who pitched the ninth, got into a bit of trouble after giving up a run and allowing the Astros to have some hope.
However, Hamilton got Tucker to strike out and Yordan Alvarez to fly out to end the game.
Game MVP: The entire Yankees offense
Yes, you can say Soto or Judge should be the MVP but the entire lineup scored in a variety of ways against Astros pitching.
Every starter got on base except for Alex Verdugo and he and Torres (0-for-2, 2 BB) were the only ones without a hit on this night. They also walked more (6) than they struck out (4).
Highlights
What’s next
The Yankees complete their three-game series with the Astros on Thursday. First pitch is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.
Marcus Stroman (2-1, 3.41 ERA) takes the mound against Ronel Blanco (3-0, 2.09 ERA).
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