The Yankees flashed what’s possible when three former MVPs are at the top of their order, quickly turning Nestor Cortes’ return to The Bronx into a nightmare and sending the Stadium into a frenzy.
Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge went back-to-back-to-back — on three consecutive pitches — for their first homers of the season to start the first inning Saturday against Cortes, and Austin Wells added his second of the campaign later in the frame to give the Yankees a 4-0 lead.
It marked the first time in franchise history that the Yankees started a game with three consecutive homers.
It all started with Aaron Boone’s decision to hit Goldschmidt leadoff for the first time in his career paying off, as the 37-year-old sent a four-seam fastball 412 feet over the left-center fence.
Then, Bellinger and Judge both crushed the next two pitches, and left fielder Jackson Chourio didn’t even turn around for the latter’s homer.
A Brewers trainer came out for a mound visit during the inning, but Cortes finished the frame — throwing 30 pitches, with 16 strikes and four ending up beyond the outfield fence.
The Yankees’ Opening Day series against Milwaukee doubled as Cortes’ homecoming after an offseason trade where Brian Cashman dealt some of his rotation depth to land closer Devin Williams.
Cortes had three stints with the Yankees, and his most recent one stretched four years and featured an All-Star Game appearance in 2023.
“Obviously, became very popular for good reason,” Boone said pregame. “A great story. I remember him kinda not being that big prospect, kinda that up-and-down guy, but always impressed us — even in the early days. … So hopefully we can make it tough on them today and then he can go off and have a good season.”
It only took three pitches for Boone’s wish to materialize. Cortes’ final image with the Yankees was surrendering a gut-wrenching homer to Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman in Game 1 of the World Series.
And his return to pitch in front of those same fans didn’t unfold any better, either.
