BALTIMORE -- Just over one week removed from being cut by the Orioles at the end of camp, Franchy Cordero had an opportunity to show his former team what it missed out on. He didn¡¯t waste it.

The toolsy outfielder crushed a three-run home run to give the Yankees life in Baltimore¡¯s home opener Friday afternoon, fueling the Yankees¡¯ offense to help erase a four-run deficit before the Orioles climbed their way back and held on for a 7-6 victory.

¡°Very cool,¡± Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of the big swing. ¡°He¡¯s done a great job. He¡¯s got a couple big hits for us. Obviously, the big homer today. He¡¯s done a nice job for us and it¡¯s good to see, and hopefully he can continue to impact us like that. But it¡¯s been fun to see him get off [to a start] like this.¡±

Cordero, 28, spent Spring Training in Orioles camp and turned in a robust .413/.426/.674 slash line with seven extra-base hits in 47 plate appearances. It wasn¡¯t enough to crack their Opening Day roster, however, leading to the Yankees scooping him up on the first day of the season.

Baltimore jumped out to an early 4-0 lead off New York starter Clarke Schmidt, putting seven baserunners aboard over the first three frames to push up his pitch count. Schmidt struggled to limit hard contact; the Orioles racked up 11 batted balls with Statcast-projected exit velocities of 95 mph or faster against him.?

¡°I felt good early on, and then that second inning, kind of trying to nibble at it, trying to make the perfect pitch and I think that pigeonholes me a little bit sometimes when you¡¯re trying to be too fine with it,¡± Schmidt said. ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s a matter of going, ¡®It¡¯s a mindset thing sometimes.¡¯ Feel like I just got to continue to attack guys throughout the whole outing and not take some innings off where you¡¯re nibbling at the zone a little bit.¡±

Looking for a spark, the Yankees got one from Cordero when he launched a two-out jack a Statcast-projected 411 feet to right field in the top of the fourth inning for his first home run in pinstripes. Two innings later, outfielder Oswaldo Cabrera picked up two of his three RBIs on the day to give the Yanks a 5-4 lead.

Just three games into his Yankees tenure, Cordero has already shown a penchant for producing hits in big moments. He checked in with a two-run double in his first game with the team Monday to blow open the Yankees¡¯ eventual 8-1 win over the reigning National League champion Phillies.

Cordero was in line to step into the batter¡¯s box for another big spot in the sixth on Friday with Cabrera still on second base, but Boone opted to go with the platoon advantage by pinch-hitting Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Kiner-Falefa popped out and the Yankees lost their momentum after that as the Orioles chipped away by scoring a run off each of their first three relievers to enter the game.

¡°Just a better matchup against a lefty [Danny Coulombe] there with a chance to add on,¡± Boone said. ¡°I liked the chance of IKF putting the ball in play there. He popped it up, but yeah, just that.¡±

Right-hander Ian Hamilton bridged the game into the middle innings with four of his six outs recorded via the strikeout. Boone pulled him in favor of fellow righty Ron Marinaccio with a runner still aboard in the sixth. Marinaccio allowed the inherited runner to score before seeing Jimmy Cordero do the same to him in the seventh for the Orioles¡¯ go-ahead run.

With two more games to play between the American League East foes, Cordero will have more chances to improve upon his .300 start and show he can continue to be a clutch bat for New York -- and deal some more blows to the O¡¯s while he¡¯s at it.