NEW YORK ¨C The content of every hitters' meeting held within the confines of the Yankees¡¯ clubhouse is usually guarded like a state secret, with players and coaches wary of leaking information that may provide competitive advantages to opponents.
Yet even an untrained eye can decipher the approach that produced the first back-to-back-to-back home runs ever hit on a team¡¯s first three pitches seen in a Major League game Saturday, when Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge all went deep off the Brewers¡¯ Nestor Cortes in New York¡¯s 20-9 victory.
¡°We had a good game plan going in; we know Nestor,¡± said Judge, who hit three of the Yankees¡¯ nine homers Saturday, establishing a new franchise mark. ¡°He¡¯s a guy that¡¯s going to go out there, throw strikes, attack you. So we just tried to go out there and be aggressive in our zone.¡±
The results were historic. Batting leadoff for the first time in his career, Goldschmidt launched a Cortes heater over the left-center-field wall for his first home run in a Yankees uniform.
¡°It¡¯s tough to start better than that,¡± Goldschmidt said. ¡°I just tried to take my same at-bat, same mindset. Fortunately, I was able to get a good pitch to hit.¡±
Bellinger followed by driving a Cortes fastball into the right-center-field bleachers, notching his first homer in pinstripes. Judge¡¯s homer came on a cutter and was a jaw-dropper, rocketing off the reigning American League Most Valuable Player¡¯s bat at 115.0 mph and traveling a Statcast-calculated 468 feet.
¡°That was a punch-you-in-the-mouth right there,¡± said manager Aaron Boone. ¡°It was definitely a raucous situation, and good to see the guys swing the bats like that.¡±
Major League Baseball began tracking pitch counts in 1988, and according to all available data, Saturday marked the first time a starting pitcher saw his first three pitches of a game all hit for home runs.
¡°That was a really cool moment,¡± Bellinger said. ¡°We were talking after that, [wondering] if it was the first time that ever happened, and it was. It was super unique to be a part of. It was just nice to get the party started.¡±
It was the first time in franchise history that the Yankees have hit three consecutive homers to lead off a game; they are the ninth team (10th time) in AL/NL history to do so, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Elias said it marked the first time a team has homered on three consecutive pitches since the Yankees did it on Sept. 17, 2020, against the Blue Jays, when Brett Gardner, DJ LeMahieu and Luke Voit hit fourth-inning homers.
¡°Three pitches, three runs ¨C it¡¯s pretty rare,¡± Goldschmidt said.
The blasts staggered Cortes, an everyman fan favorite who was traded to the Brewers with infielder Caleb Durbin for right-handed closer Devin Williams in December. Boone said the Yankees were aware Cortes¡¯ velocity was down this spring, which may have factored into the performance.
Though Cortes received a warm reception during Thursday¡¯s Opening Day introductions at Yankee Stadium, the standing ovation that accompanied his third-inning exit seemed less sincere.
Cortes was unavailable for comment after Saturday¡¯s game, exiting when reporters were in manager Pat Murphy¡¯s office. Through a club spokesperson, Cortes later apologized and said he would speak prior to Sunday's series finale.
¡°We¡¯re in competition out there, and it¡¯s the game,¡± Boone said. ¡°Once that happens, I want him to have a great year, and there¡¯s no reason he won¡¯t go and have a great year. I know how competitive he is. You¡¯re going to take your lumps in this game if you play long enough. It¡¯s just one game, so he¡¯ll be all right.¡±