SAN DIEGO — Juan Soto hit a long two-run homer in his first game back in San Diego, and Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton also hit no-doubters off Yu Darvish in the third inning of the New York Yankees' 8-0 win over the Padres on Friday night.
Gleyber Torres then led off the fourth with a line shot to center for the AL East-leading Yankees, who won for the 10th time in 12 games. The power surge by the Bronx Bombers backed an excellent effort by Carlos Rodón (6-2), who held the Padres to three singles in six-plus scoreless innings to win his fourth straight decision.
San Diego was shut out for the third time in five games while the Yankees pitched their seventh shutout, one shy of the major league high.
Soto played in San Diego for the first time since the Padres dealt him to the Yankees on Dec. 7 in the second blockbuster trade involving the slugger in 16 months.
He described the third inning as ''electric, fun. Definitely fun. It was pretty cool to see the guys coming through against a guy like that. It's huge.''
He was greeted with a mixture of boos from Padres fans and cheers from the many Yankees fans at Petco Park when the starting lineup was announced and each time he came to the plate.
''I wasn't expecting cheers or boos but they did both,'' Soto said. ''I was right in the middle. That was pretty cool. That's fine. I don't mind at all.''
It didn't take Soto long to show Padres fans what they are missing when he hit a deep drive to right field with two outs in the third, with Austin Wells aboard on a leadoff single. Soto tossed his bat aside and Fernando Tatis Jr. just turned and watch the 423-foot homer — Soto's 14th — sail into the stands.