Yankees’ historic homer night fuels optimism to end two-season challenge

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The Yankees delivered on their Bronx Bombers moniker Saturday, demolishing the Milwaukee Brewers 20-9 at Yankee Stadium with a franchise-record nine home runs. Aaron Judge‘s three-homer performance headlined the offensive explosion as New York improved to 2-0 to start the 2025 campaign. Yet beneath the fireworks display, troubling patterns emerged that could haunt the team as the season progresses.

In one memorable evening, the Yankees demonstrated that despite losing 41 home runs worth of production during the offseason, their lineup remains devastatingly powerful. The game also revealed their likely formula for success this year: overpowering offense to compensate for defensive shortcomings and a pitching staff working through early challenges.

Yankees join elite MLB company, set franchise marks

Saturday’s power surge placed the Yankees among just two other teams in baseball history to connect for nine or more home runs in a single contest. The onslaught began immediately when Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger, and Aaron Judge blasted consecutive homers on the first three pitches thrown by former Yankee Nestor Cortes—an unprecedented achievement in franchise history.

Judge continued his dominance with two additional home runs, including a third-inning grand slam that brought fans to their feet for a curtain call. The reigning AL MVP finished just a double shy of the cycle and made his intentions for the season clear.

“It was electric, from the stadium to the guys in the dugout locked in, fired up,” Judge said. “We’re on a mission. A lot of guys are disappointed with what happened last year, myself included, and it starts with preparing ourselves now.”

Austin Wells, Anthony Volpe, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Oswald Peraza joined the home run parade. Peraza’s seventh-inning pinch-hit blast secured the Yankees’ record-breaking ninth homer, while Wells has now homered in consecutive games to open the season.

Boone’s gamble delivers, Yankees steal the show

Manager Aaron Boone raised eyebrows by installing 37-year-old Goldschmidt in the leadoff spot for the first time in the veteran’s career—a decision that paid immediate dividends when Goldschmidt launched a 412-foot home run to left-center, triggering the first-inning avalanche.

Cortes, making his return to the Bronx after being traded to Milwaukee in the deal that brought closer Devin Williams to New York, endured a nightmarish reunion. The southpaw lasted just six outs, surrendering eight runs on six hits and five walks, including Volpe’s second-inning three-run shot before departing early in the third.

The nine-homer outburst showcased the Yankees‘ ability to overwhelm opponents in short order. After Friday’s season opener where they struggled to build on an early advantage, Saturday’s contrast was stark—they launched seven home runs before Milwaukee recorded their seventh out.

However, the explosive final score doesn’t erase legitimate concerns. Defensive inefficiency, elevated pitch counts from starting pitchers, and increased bullpen workload could become problematic if the offense doesn’t consistently deliver such overwhelming support.

Nevertheless, power has been the Yankees’ calling card for generations, and Saturday’s display confirmed the 2025 squad maintains that tradition—particularly with Judge in top form, Bellinger showing early promise, and Goldschmidt adapting quickly to his new surroundings.

But another challenge remains: The missing walk-off homer

Amid all the power-hitting, one peculiar streak remains intact. Despite collecting 510 team home runs since September 20, 2022, the Yankees haven’t produced a single walk-off homer in over two full seasons. The last such moment came when Giancarlo Stanton capped a dramatic comeback on the same night Judge hit his 60th home run.

Since then, according to The Athletic, the Yankees stand as the only MLB team without a walk-off homer. Not even Judge, Stanton, or Juan Soto—now in his second year with the club—have delivered that mobbed-at-home-plate celebration.

This statistical oddity for a power-focused team perhaps suggests that while the Yankees possess tremendous offensive firepower, their story still lacks those dramatic final-act moments.

With a 2-0 start for the third time in four seasons, the Yankees aim to maintain momentum with one game remaining in their opening series against Milwaukee. Early indications suggest scoring won’t be an issue—but the true test in 2025 will be whether they can play fundamentally sound baseball behind their new ace and overcome recent postseason disappointments.

If Saturday offered any preview, expect them to try slugging their way through every challenge ahead.

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