Bronx, NY—-The New York Yankees wrapped up their first series of the 2025 season with an impressive 12-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, completing a sweep of the defending NL Central champions and sending a strong message to the rest of Major League Baseball. The Yankees hit four more home runs in the series finale, tying the 2006 Detroit Tigers for the most home runs in the first three games of a season with 15.
Aaron Judge, with his fourth homer of the year, set a new franchise record for the most home runs through three games. Jazz Chisholm Jr. also made his mark, belting two home runs to cap off an explosive start to the season.
Through three games, the Yankees have scored an eye-popping 36 runs, showcasing the potential of their revamped lineup. Milwaukee got off to a quick start, striking first against Marcus Stroman. After a leadoff single by Brice Turang, Stroman walked William Contreras and then allowed an RBI single to Sal Frelick, giving the Brewers a 1-0 lead. But the Yankees wasted no time answering back.
Paul Goldschmidt, leading off for the second consecutive game, singled to left, and two batters later, Aaron Judge blasted a 410-foot, two-run home run to left field, putting the Yankees ahead 2-1. Judge’s home run streak continued, as he has now homered in every game of the season.
In the second inning, Ben Rice got in on the action, launching a 1-1 sinker from Brewers pitcher Adrian Houser into the second deck in right field for his first home run of the season. Rice, who is stepping into the DH role with Giancarlo Stanton sidelined, has already shown promise after a strong spring. After Chisholm Jr. belted a two-run homer in the third inning—a shot following an intentional walk to Judge—the Yankees extended their lead to 5-1.
The blast came off Milwaukee reliever Jared Koenig and was an example of the Yankees’ new “torpedo bat,” a design developed by hitting coach Aaron Leanhardt to shift the bat’s center of mass closer to the barrel. Early results suggest the new design is having a positive impact on the lineup.
Stroman’s debut in a Yankees uniform wasn’t flawless. After retiring the side in order in the second and third innings, he gave up a two-run homer to Jake Bauers in the fourth, narrowing the Yankees’ lead to 5-3. Stroman left the game in the fifth inning after allowing a single to Jackson Chourio. His final line was 4.2 innings, five hits, three earned runs, one walk, and three strikeouts on 81 pitches.
Tim Hill came on in relief and struck out Christian Yelich to end the fifth inning, then worked a clean sixth with two strikeouts. The Yankees added to their lead in the sixth. Judge walked to start the inning, Chisholm Jr. singled, and Anthony Volpe moved them up with a deep flyout. A wild pitch allowed Judge to score, and Austin Wells’ grounder brought in Chisholm Jr. to make it 7-3.
But the Yankees weren’t done yet. They exploded for five more runs in the seventh inning. Rice, Oswaldo Cabrera, and Goldschmidt led off with singles, and Cody Bellinger brought in a run with a sac fly to center. With runners on, Judge drew his third walk of the game, setting up Chisholm Jr. to smash a three-run homer, his second of the day, inside the right-field foul pole to make it 12-3. Chisholm Jr. finished with four RBIs and three hits. Judge reached base four times, while Rice collected his first career multi-hit game.
The bullpen sealed the win with Mark Leiter Jr., Fernando Cruz, and Ryan Yarbrough each pitching a scoreless inning. The trio allowed just two baserunners combined and preserved the Yankees’ dominant 12-3 victory.
While the Yankees’ rotation remains an area of concern—Stroman became the second straight starter to fail to reach five innings—the bullpen has been reliable, and the offense has been more than capable of picking up the slack. Even without Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees have scored double-digit runs in back-to-back games.
Looking ahead, the Yankees will enjoy a day off on Monday before hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks for a three-game series starting Tuesday. Rookie Will Warren is slated to make his season debut, while the Diamondbacks will counter with newly acquired ace Corbin Burnes. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET on YES.
