Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr. deliver big-swinging statement for Padres at Yankee Stadium
Tatis #Tatis
NEW YORK — Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis Jr. hit two-run homers, both lingering at home plate to admire no-doubt drives into the second deck, and the San Diego Padres beat the New York Yankees, 5-1, Friday night in a series opener between high-profile teams trying to overcome sluggish starts.
Soto put the Padres ahead in the fifth inning against Randy Vásquez (0-1), a 24-year-old righthander making his big league debut, and Tatis — greeted with “steroids” chants in his first visit to New York since his 80-game drug suspension — boosted the lead to 4-0 in the sixth against Ron Marinaccio. The drives totaled 871 feet.
Joe Musgrove (2-2), pitching in New York for the first time since his seven shutout innings beat the Mets in the decisive game of last year’s wild-card series, ended a four-start winless streak. He allowed one run and six hits in 6⅓ innings with six strikeouts and no walks.
Anthony Rizzo had an RBI grounder in the sixth for the Yankees after Gleyber Torres singled and Aaron Judge doubled.
Rougned Odor added a run-scoring single in the ninth for San Diego against Ryan Weber, giving him 12 RBIs in his last five games.
A crowd of 46,724 filled Yankee Stadium, just the third sellout this season, to watch teams reaching the Memorial Day weekend as underachievers. San Diego is 24-27 and 6½ games behind the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers. The Yankees are 30-23 following their third straight loss, eight games back of Tampa Bay in the AL East.
The Yankees started the season with a $275 million payroll, second only to the Mets’ record $355 million, and the Padres were third at $258 million. San Diego has won four of five since dropping to 20-26.
After Vásquez grazed Jake Cronenworth’s thigh with a pitch in the fifth, Soto fouled a 1-0 offering off his left knee and then drove a full-count cutter to right for his 10th home run. The 432-foot drive left the bat at 114 mph, the Padres’ hardest-hit home run this season.
Soto transferred his bat to his left hand and then, holding the fat end, flipped the lumber into the ground and pounded his chest with his right fist before starting his trot.
Tatis followed a walk to Austin Nola by sending a first-pitch changeup 439 feet into the left-field second deck for his eighth homer. He held the bat as he watched the ball, then casually flipped it toward the Padres’ bench.
After each home run, the sluggers posed with the baserunners for a Polaroid, a tradition begun last season. Tatis appeared to talk up his home run to fans as he walked to right field for the bottom half.
Bench coach Carlos Mendoza ran the Yankees in place of manager Aaron Boone, suspended for one game by Major League Baseball following his fourth ejection of the season on Thursday.