The biggest question facing the New York Yankees for the 2025 season was whether or not they could sustain a powerful offense without Juan Soto in their lineup. If their first three games are any indication, it seems like they’re going to be just fine.
The Bronx Bombers played their first series of the year as if they set out to prove that exact point. The club smashed an MLB record-tying 15 home runs in a three-game thrashing of the Milwaukee Brewers, joining the 2006 Detroit Tigers as the only teams to hit that many bombs in their first three games of the season.
New York looked especially imposing during the Saturday matinee. There, they set a franchise record with nine homers en route to a 20-9 stomping on the Brew Crew. The last team to hit nine round-trippers in a game was the 1999 Cincinnati Reds, and current Yankee manager Aaron Boone was responsible for one of them.
“Obviously yesterday was crazy and historic in a lot of ways – it was just one of those days,” Boone said on Sunday, recognizing that it would be impossible to maintain such remarkable production over the course of a 162-game season. “You’re going to have days where you get shut down by a great pitcher, and we just want to be, day-in and day-out, making sure we’re taking tough at-bats, smart at-bats, and executing the game plan as best as we can.”
The Yankees formed an offensive juggernaut last season when they acquired Soto from the San Diego Padres and paired the star outfielder with captain Aaron Judge. The unstoppable duo slugged 99 home runs during the regular season – 41 for Soto, 58 for Judge – and propelled the club to their first World Series appearance in 15 years.
But when Soto etched his name on a historic 15-year, $765 million contract to join the New York Mets, the 2024 American League MVP was seemingly left to fend for himself in an underwhelming Yankee lineup. However, through the first three games of the season, the Yanks have showcased a multi-faceted batting order with the potential to attack teams from many different angles.
The club’s 15 home runs have come from eight different players, which is especially jarring since they’re playing without reigning ALCS MVP Giancarlo Stanton. Austin Wells set the tone when he smashed a liner over the short porch to become the first catcher in MLB history to hit a leadoff home run on Opening Day.
New York made headlines on Saturday with their “torpedo bats” that were used by Volpe and Jazz Chisholm Jr. – both of whom went deep in the contest. The bats, which were deemed perfectly legal by Major League Baseball, were once again on full display as Chisholm crushed his second and third blasts of the season on Sunday.
“We fire torpedoes all around the park, you feel me?” joked Chisholm after the game.
The club’s primary offensive reinforcements, Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt, joined the team not with the goal of filling Soto’s shoes, but rather playing to the best of their abilities – and so far, they are. Facing off against former Yankee Nestor Cortes Jr. on Saturday, the former MVPs clubbed back-to-back homers on the lefty’s first two pitches. Judge then completed the trifecta with a no-doubter off Cortes’ third offering.
Even Oswald Peraza and Ben Rice got in on the fun, both adding a blast to the staggering tally.
Judge leads the team with four bombs, crushing three on Saturday with a grand slam before hitting another moonshot on Sunday. He’s the first player in Yankee history to hit at least four homers in his team’s first three games of the year.
The captain told reporters that while he was impressed with the dingers, he was especially pleased with his teammates working deep counts, getting on base, and scoring by any means necessary.
“It’s about guys having a lot of unselfish at-bats, I think that’s what it comes down to,” said Judge. “Everybody loves the homers, those are always nice, but I think those at-bats are really what’s defining the team right now.”
New York plated 36 runners over the weekend, the most in franchise history through the first three games of a season. During that span, the squad worked 16 walks, advancing on an amalgam of base hits, sacrifice flies, and heads-up baserunning.
“Just a lot of stuff that helps you win a lot of ballgames,” Judge added.
