The New York Yankees have had a very unstable season in 2025. Their first stretch was exceptional, but afterwards they have fallen below expectations, even giving up the top spot in the American League East. However, it is a team with enough potential to make their rivals suffer if they go out with ambition to the diamond.
That’s exactly what happened on Tuesday at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, where they slaughtered the Rays’ pitching with a 13-3 victory. The Bombers lived up to their nickname and hit nine home runs, including three in a row in the same first inning against right-hander Shane Baz.
Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton attacked early with home runs to open the scoring. It was three consecutive home runs, something the Yankees have already done three times this season. According to Katie Sharp, the 1982 Brewers and the 2024 Dodgers were the only teams to have hit three consecutive home runs on three different occasions during the same season.
These connections paved the way for another historic night, as the Yankees matched their record for most home runs in a single game, set earlier this season against Milwaukee.
“You have to give credit to the Yankees’ lineup. They came in and took advantage of any pitch, whether it was quality or error. They got a good offensive streak and we had no response,” said Rays manager Kevin Cash, resigned to the New Yorkers’ punishment, as they had six players with home runs.
You have to give credit to the Yankees’ lineup. They went in and took advantage of any pitch
Bellinger and Stanton went yard twice, and they were joined by Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Ben Rice with one home run each. The icing on the cake was provided by Panamanian Jose Caballero, who hit two home runs in four at-bats, the same number he had accumulated in his 297 previous appearances throughout the season.
“That’s why they’re the Bronx Bombers. Playing with them has to be contagious,” said Caballero, who joined the Yankees from the Rays at the trade deadline.
In doing so, the Yankees became the first team in Major League history with two games of at least nine home runs. They had already set that mark earlier this season, when they ruthlessly beat Milwaukee in the opening series at Yankee Stadium.
“To do it twice is extraordinary. There were some really strong hits. A really impressive offensive performance against a team that is not easy to score runs against,” said manager Aaron Boone.
There were only three previous instances of at least nine home runs by the same team in MLB history:
- Toronto Blue Jays: 10 home runs vs. Baltimore on September 14, 1987 (three by Ernie Whitt, two by Rance Mulliniks and George Bell, one by Lloyd Moseby, Rob Ducey and Fred McGriff)
- Cincinnati Reds: 9 home runs vs. Phillies on September 4, 1999 (two by Ed Taubensee and one by Aaron Boone, Dmitri Young, Jeffrey Hammonds, Greg Vaughn, Pokey Reese, Brian Johnson and Mark Lewis)
- New York Yankees: 9 home runs vs. Brewers on March 29, 2025 (three by Aaron Judge and one by Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger, Austin Wells, Anthony Volpe, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Oswald Peraza)
Interestingly, Aaron Boone was a player and homered in Cincinnati’s thrashing of Philadelphia in 1999, and has now been the Yankees’ mentor in their two nine-homer games in 2025. In other words, he has been involved in three of the four games with at least nine home runs for the same team in MLB history.
Read the full article here
