NEW YORK — Yankee Stadium turned into a home run carnival Wednesday afternoon. What began with Aaron Judge’s towering two-run homer in the third inning became a 41-minute Yankees offensive outburst that stunned the Washington Nationals and had fans roaring from the stands.
The New York Yankees sent 15 men to the plate in that marathon half-inning, piling on nine runs on eight hits, three walks and one catcher’s interference call. The extended rally paved the way for an 11-2 win, finishing off a three-game sweep.
“It was outstanding,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “That was some banging right there.”
Four home runs in single inning makes MLB history
The third inning saw fireworks rarely witnessed in Major League Baseball. Judge started with a 424-foot blast measured at 107.2 mph off the bat. Cody Bellinger followed on the very next pitch, crushing a 410-foot shot at 102.9 mph.
Ryan McMahon and Ben Rice added homers of their own before the inning ended. That gave the Yankees four home runs in one inning for the third time this season, something no other team in MLB history has ever done three times in a single year.
“It’s kind of crazy,” McMahon said. “Looking at the depth of our lineup, though, those are the kind of innings that I think our team can put together. Hopefully there’s a lot more of that in the future.”
Judge’s long ball was his 41st of the year. Bellinger’s marked his 25th. Both came off Nationals starter Cade Cavalli, who lasted just 2⅓ innings.
Rice doubles up with two at-bats in same inning
Ben Rice played a starring role. He opened the Yankees inning with a single to right. When his turn came up again later, he connected on a full-count slider from reliever Shinnosuke Ogasawara and sent it into the right-field seats for his 22nd homer. That swing stretched the lead to 9-0.
“It was a lot of fun,” Rice said. “We were enjoying ourselves. It was contagious.”
Complete breakdown of Yankees third-inning offensive clinic
Rice’s single to right started the rally. Judge worked an 0-2 count before unloading a curveball to center field. His 41st homer of the season made it 2-0 for the Yankees.
Bellinger wasted no time, hammering a 94-mph cutter for a back-to-back shot. The Stadium crowd erupted as the Yankees pushed the score to 4-0.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. walked, swiped second base, and came around on Jasson Dominguez’s ground-rule double into the gap. The lead stretched to 5-0.
Anthony Volpe lined out for the first out of the inning. Austin Wells reached on catcher’s interference against Drew Millas, a play that left the Nationals’ catcher with a fractured finger. Washington was forced to move DH Riley Adams behind the plate, costing them the designated hitter for the rest of the game.
McMahon then drilled a three-run shot, his second for the Yankees, and Cavalli was pulled. Ogasawara replaced him but was greeted rudely. After Trent Grisham struck out, Rice returned for his second at-bat of the inning and drilled a 3-2 slider over the wall.
Judge followed with a single to left. Bellinger and Chisholm walked to load the bases, and Dominguez dropped in a soft infield single that scored the Yankees captain to make it 10-0. Volpe struck out to finally end the 41-minute barrage.
Nationals pitchers throw 77 pitches in single inning
Cavalli faced eight batters in the inning and allowed eight runs on six hits and two walks. He threw 54 pitches before being lifted.
Ogasawara didn’t fare much better. He needed 23 pitches, giving up a homer, two walks and two hits while recording only one out. Combined, the two hurlers threw 77 pitches in the frame. According to MLB records, that is the second-most pitches in a single inning since 2000, trailing only the 91 pitches the Florida Marlins threw in a 2003 game against Boston.
Yankees maintain focus throughout extended offensive outburst
Despite the lopsided score, the Yankees never lost focus. Each hitter approached his plate appearance with intensity, staying in rhythm even as the inning dragged on.
“I know we scored a lot of runs that inning, but you could tell from each guy up in the box, the guys on deck, even if you took a peek in the dugout, guys were locked in there on the top step,” Judge said. “That really helped us not think about how many runs we scored or what just happened.”
The captain added that the lineup’s professional mindset fueled the rally.
“It was like, ‘Hey, you got a job to do up there. It doesn’t matter how many outs, who’s on base, what the score is, you’ve got to go up there and do a job,’” Judge said. “It’s what makes this team special.”
The team’s “pass-the-baton” approach allowed each player to build off the last.
“It’s just everybody clicking, everybody having good at-bats, not trying to do too much,” Judge said. “Guys just had good at-bat after good at-bat. Bellinger hits the big homer after me, and everybody’s trying to pass the baton.”
Fried stays ready during marathon inning
Max Fried had to find ways to stay loose as his teammates rounded the bases. The left-hander retreated to the tunnel to play catch and keep his arm fresh.
Before the third inning, Fried had retired the first 11 Nationals hitters. He came back sharp after the 41-minute break, eventually working seven innings of one-run ball.
“It’s a good problem to have, right?” Fried said. “It goes from 1-0 to 10-0; there are definitely worse things to happen.”
Fried improved to 14-5 with the win, continuing his rebound from an earlier rough stretch of eight straight rocky outings.
Yankees offensive explosion sets records
The victory underscored the Yankees’ immense power potential. Six different players homered in the 11-2 win, tying a franchise mark for most individual home run hitters in one game.
Trent Grisham began with a leadoff homer in the first. The third inning featured four blasts. Wells added one more in the fourth to finish the scoring. The Yankees became the first club in MLB history to record three innings in one season with four home runs or more.
It was the third time in 2025 the Yankees had six players homer in a game, something no other team has ever done three times in a season.
New York also tied a franchise record with 40 first-inning homers this year. The club matched the 1941 Yankees by having three outfielders — Judge, Grisham and Bellinger — reach at least 25 home runs each.
In sweeping Washington, New York outscored the Nationals 26-6. The series provided a strong response after dropping three of four against Boston. It also stretched their winning streak to four.
Wednesday’s game reinforced the “Bronx Bombers” identity. When the Yankees’ lineup clicks top to bottom, there are few teams in baseball that can withstand the surge.
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