Triple trouble: Soto, Judge, Stanton muscle up in SD

SAN DIEGO -- Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton form a formidable challenge indeed. Any of the three can ruin a pitcher’s night with one powerful swing.

When they all get such a swing? Hoo boy.

The Yankees’ three marquee sluggers all hit monster homers off Yu Darvish in the third inning Friday night to fuel an 8-0 victory in the series opener against the Padres at Petco Park. It marked the first time Soto, Judge and Stanton all homered in the same inning and just the second time they’ve all homered in the same game.

“Electric. Fun. Definite fun,” Soto said of the five-run frame. “It was pretty cool seeing the guys coming through against a guy like that. It’s huge.”

Said Yankees manager Aaron Boone: “It was pretty awesome.”

It was Soto’s first game back in San Diego since the Padres traded him in the December blockbuster, so it was fitting he got first dibs. But, truly, all three homers had the force to crack a seat.

? Soto: He turned on an 0-1 sinker and sent it a Statcast-projected 423 feet to right field, 107.9 mph off the bat.

? Judge: He pulled a 1-0 slider into the second deck in left field, 409 feet with a 104.9 mph exit velocity. (That marked the first back-to-back homers by the Yankees this year.)

? Stanton: After Alex Verdugo singled, Stanton crushed a first-pitch curveball to reach the second level of the Western Metal Supply Co. building in left field, 417 feet and 110.9 mph on the metrics.

“I thought we took some really great swings,” Judge said. “We got a guy on and then Juan did his thing. He really started the fireworks. But it was a bunch of guys taking great swings.”

It was suggested that Soto, Judge and Stanton form an NBA-style “big three.”

“We’re a big nine, a big 26,” Judge countered. “Everybody in this clubhouse plays a big part. I would never narrow it down to just three guys. Everybody here is a stud in their own right. We’re a part of something special.”

That may be true, but the power trio is a difficult gauntlet for opponents, with the lefty-hitting Verdugo breaking up right-handed-hitting Judge and Stanton.

“I love it,” Boone said. “To have Juan come in here and slide into that two hole, get that left-right combination right there. Verdugo’s that change of pace before you get back to Giancarlo. I’m just excited that they’re all healthy and playing well.”

The Yankees not only made Petco Park look small -- Gleyber Torres added a fourth homer with a fourth-inning drive to center field -- they also made Darvish look ordinary. And he most certainly had been anything but that of late.

The veteran right-hander took a career-best scoreless streak of 25 innings into the game. Judge ended it right away with a first-inning sacrifice fly.

A couple Yankees streaks live on, however. Lefty Carlos Rodón won his fourth straight start by holding San Diego scoreless while pitching into the seventh inning. And Anthony Volpe stretched his career-best hitting streak to 17 games with a leadoff triple ahead of Judge’s sac fly.

Rodón also was the beneficiary the first time Soto, Judge and Stanton homered in the same game. That was May 8 against the Astros at Yankee Stadium, the first game of Rodón’s win streak.

“It makes it a lot easier to pitch when these guys swing it like they do,” Rodón said.