It was a record-setting day for the New York Yankees and a day to forget for former Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes. The Yankees bashed nine home runs as they pummeled the Milwaukee Brewers 20-9 in the second game of the season. Aaron Judge led the way by drilling three home runs at Yankee Stadium.

New York got the game started with a literal bang as the home team smashed home runs on the first three pitches of the game. Judge got the game started as he took the first offering from Nestor Cortes deep for a 468-foot home run. Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger — both new to the Yankees in the 2025 season — followed with long home runs of their own.

Manager Aaron Boone was able to provide some perspective on the early part of the home run explosion. Boone saw former Yankees slugger and Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson prior to the game, and the three home runs reminded him of one of Jackson's most memorable achievements.

“I saw Reggie [Jackson] here today,” Aaron Boone said. “Three homers on three pitches in the World Series right? So maybe it was that.”

Jackson hit three home runs on consecutive pitches in the sixth game of the 1977 World Series for the Yankees against the Los Angeles Dodgers. That remarkable shelling propelled New York to the World Series title, the team's first in 15 years.

No team in Major League history had hit home runs on the first three pitches of the game. Major League Baseball has been keeping track of pitch count home runs since the 1988 season.

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Home run barrage shook former Yankee Cortes

New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) hits a two run home in the fourth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Yankee Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

In addition to the home runs on the first three pitches, the Yankees added a fourth first-inning home run by catcher Tyler Wells. He was extremely familiar with Cortes, having caught 22 of his starts last year. It marked the first time in team history that the Yankees had hit four home runs in the first inning of a game.

Other Yankees home run slugger include Jazz Chisholm, Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza. Cortes pitched 2.0 innings  and allowed 6 hits, 8 earned runs and 5 bases on balls. The barrage of hits and home runs left the former Yankees left-handed starter with a 36.00 earned run average. He refused to speak with reporters after the game.

After Judge's first-inning home run, he added a grand slam in the 3rd inning. He would blast his third home run of the game in the 4th inning.

Cortes gave up a game-ending grand slam to Freddie Freeman of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the Yankees in Game 1 of last year's World Series. He had hoped his return to Yankee Stadium with the Brewers would have had a much different result.