Juan Soto hit a big two-run homer in his first game back in San Diego, and Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton also smashed home runs off Yu Darvish in the third inning of the New York Yankees’ 8-0 victory over the Padres on Friday night.
Gleyber Torres then started the fourth inning with a line drive to center for the AL East-leading Yankees, who won for the 10th time in 12 games.
The Yankees’ strong hitting was supported by a great performance from Carlos Rodón (6-2), who held the Padres to only three singles in six-plus scoreless innings to secure his fourth consecutive win.
San Diego was unable to score for the third time in five games, while the Yankees achieved their seventh shutout of the season, just one behind the highest in the major leagues.
Soto played in San Diego for the first time since being traded to the Yankees on Dec. 7, marking the second significant trade involving the slugger in 16 months.
Describing the atmosphere in the third inning as “electric and fun,” Soto was thrilled to see his teammates perform well against a tough opponent like Darvish.
When he stepped up to the plate, Soto was met with a mix of boos and cheers from Padres fans and Yankees supporters at Petco Park.
“I wasn’t expecting either cheers or boos, but I got both,” Soto remarked. “I was right in the middle. That was pretty cool. That’s fine. I don’t mind at all.”
Soto wasted no time in showing Padres fans what they were missing when he hit a deep drive to right field with two outs in the third inning, with Austin Wells on base with a leadoff single.
Following Soto’s homer, Judge hit a 409-foot homer to left, his 16th of the season. With Alex Verdugo on base with a single, Stanton hit a 417-foot homer into the second balcony on the brick warehouse in the left-field corner, his 13th. It brought back memories of when he dominated Petco Park to win the 2016 Home Run Derby.
