Yanks' power trio goes deep in same game for first time

NEW YORK -- Soto. Judge. Stanton. Finally.

This is what the Yankees have been waiting for since Juan Soto joined Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton in pinstripes: On Wednesday, the Bronx Bombers' three superstar sluggers all homered in the same game for the first time.

Soto, Judge and Stanton's light-tower power display led New York to its fifth consecutive win and second straight rout of the rival Astros, a 9-4 victory at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees are 6-0 against Houston this year and will go for the season-series sweep on Thursday (5:05 p.m. ET, live on MLB.TV).

But just as important: The Yankees want this to be the first of many big games this season from the fearsome trio in the heart of their order.

"I hope," Judge said. "It means good things are happening and the Yankees are winning."

Their three home runs Wednesday were all crushed. Soto's came first: a 113.4 mph, 440-foot shot to the opposite field that put New York in front in the first inning, clanging off the back wall of the left-center-field bullpen. Judge followed in the third with an opposite-field home run of his own, 106.4 mph and 404 feet to the right-field bleachers.

But Stanton's was the biggest home run of them all: 119.9 mph and 440 feet to the second deck down the left-field line. It's the hardest home run hit in MLB this season, passing … Stanton's 118.8 mph homer that he hit in the series opener the day before.

"All those balls -- put into orbit," manager Aaron Boone said.

Soto, Judge and Stanton now have 25 home runs between them this season. Soto has nine to lead the team; Judge and Stanton are right behind him with eight apiece.

Any one of the three can put on a show any given night. But if they all get rolling at the same time, look out. This is one of the most dangerous trios in baseball.

And Wednesday night was exactly the type of game Soto was imagining when he came to New York.

"I know it's not gonna be easy to do that every night, but we're really capable of doing that and more," Soto said. "Judge has been locked in the last couple of days. I'm really excited for that -- I can't wait to see him going crazy. It's gonna be great. And G, how hard he hits the ball, it's just amazing. You don't see guys hitting balls 120 every day."

Judge and Stanton had homered in the same game 37 times since they became teammates in New York in 2018. The Yankees went 33-4 in those games.

Soto and Judge had homered together once, on April 24 against the A's. Ditto for Soto and Stanton, on April 17 against the Blue Jays. The Yankees won both of those games.

But all three? This was the first time. And it was only a matter of time.

"That certainly puts a smile on your face, when those three guys do that," Boone said.

When Soto, Judge and Stanton are all having big games, the Yankees look like a well-oiled machine.

It starts with Soto in the two-hole, one of the toughest at-bats for any pitcher. Judge sees that from the on-deck circle.

"They've got to throw him every single pitch to try to get him out," Judge said. "I definitely enjoy having a front-row seat right there watching him do his thing."

Then, once the pitcher has exhausted himself battling Soto, come Judge and Stanton as two of the biggest bats in baseball behind him.

Soto has hit alongside star hitters with both the Nationals and Padres -- Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon in Washington, Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. in San Diego. But here in New York is as powerful a trio as he's been a part of.

"It's as good as I've been with in other lineups," Soto said. "How much power those guys have is just incredible. So for me, hitting in front of those guys is a great feeling. I've hit in front of great hitters before, too. But definitely these guys have a huge amount of power."

Soto's got great power, too. And when he, Judge and Stanton tee off, all of Yankee Stadium is electric -- even the Yankees dugout. Boone's going to rewatch the highlights of the first monster Soto-Judge-Stanton game just for that.

"I'm looking forward to seeing those reactions," Boone said. "I like to see those. So I will go back and watch those home runs tonight and pay attention to those reactions."