Considering Juan Soto’s flair for the dramatic — not to mention his “generational” talent — was there ever any doubt?
In his first game back at Petco Park since the Padres traded him to the Yankees, Soto crushed a monster home run that set off a three-homer inning on the way to an 8-0 win on Friday night.
Aaron Judge went back-to-back with Soto for the first time before Giancarlo Stanton clobbered a two-run shot two batters later as the Yankees (36-17) went bombs away on Yu Darvish in a five-run third inning.
Yankees right fielder Juan Soto (22) flips his bat after hitting a two-run home run in the third inning
“To see him come out in a packed house and do his thing, that’s just a normal Friday night for Juan,” Judge said.
Soto, who added a double while going 2-for-4, described the decisive third inning as “electric.”
The trio combined for 1,249 feet of home runs in a matter of minutes, marking the second time all three have homered in the same game.
“Things escalated quick,” Stanton said with a wide grin. “That’s what we’re capable of.”
It was more than enough run support for Carlos Rodon, who quieted the Padres (27-27) with six shutout innings to kick off a 10-day, nine-game West Coast trip in style.
Darvish had entered the game with a 25-inning scoreless streak but the Yankees ambushed him for seven runs across 5 ²/₃ innings, including a fourth home run as Gleyber Torres later went deep in the fourth inning.
But it was Soto, who was met with louder boos than cheers when introduced to the sellout crowd of 43,505, that got the party started.
“It was a thing when he was coming to the plate,” manager Aaron Boone said. “You could feel it in the stadium. It was a great environment. He answered like he usually does.”
Soto was also robbed of extra bases by right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. in the seventh inning.
But his 14th home run of the season, a two-run shot, was the longest of the Yankees’ bunch on Friday, traveling an estimated 423 feet and prompting Tatis Jr. to barely move.
“I think Juan Soto always shows up when the lights are bright,” Rodon said. “Almost to be expected at this point.”