Advertisement

Yankees Flush: Stanton, Sanchez and Judge homer together for first time

mark townsend
Yahoo Sports Contributor

It didn’t take long for the New York Yankees’ new power trio to flex its collective muscle. In New York’s sixth game of the season, Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge all homered in the same game for the first time in Wednesday’s 7-2 win against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Spoiler alert: It won’t be the last time that happens.

[Still not too late to join a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league]

The Yankees core did all of its damage in the first four innings.

Stanton, who actually received boos in his Yankee Stadium debut Tuesday after striking out five times, turned the response to cheers after crushing a 458-foot, two-run shot in the first inning against Rays starter Blake Snell.

Not to be outdone, Sanchez followed with his first home run of the season in the third inning. It too was a two-run shot that extended New York’s lead to 4-1.

That set the stage for Judge, who one inning later connected on another two-run blast for his first home run of 2018.

That’s a whole lot of power.

The homers were the only hit for each player in Wednesday’s game. Truth to be told, they’re off to a very slow start collectively. They entered hitting a combined .178 with 22 strikeouts and only Stanton’s two opening day home runs in Toronto to show for their first 56 at-bats.

Wednesday’s big performance is a reminder though just how quickly they can change the narrative and a baseball game.

Gary Sanchez (left) and Aaron Judge celebrate Judge’s first homer of 2018. Together with Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees power trio homered in the same game for the first time in a 7-2 win against the Rays. (AP)
Gary Sanchez (left) and Aaron Judge celebrate Judge’s first homer of 2018. Together with Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees power trio homered in the same game for the first time in a 7-2 win against the Rays. (AP)

Of course, the Yankees have already proven to be much more than a three-man home run hitting machine. Shortstop Didi Gregorius drove in eight runs in Tuesday’s win, which highlights the depth of a lineup that will get only deeper with better health. The starting rotation is impressive. The bullpen is talented and experienced. The Yankees are as complete as any team in MLB.

Still, it’s the middle of the lineup that will command the headlines. It won’t always be for homering in the same game, but it will often be for changing a game that the Yankees otherwise would not have won.

– – – – – –

Mark Townsend is a writer for Yahoo Sports Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

More from Yahoo Sports:
Coach asks NFL prospect: What if I punched you?
Yankees fans boo Stanton during his 5-strikeout game
Are Pats and Lamar Jackson a match made in heaven?
Dan Wetzel: The bromance of Phil and Tiger