Yankees’ Gerrit Cole allows three consecutive home runs to open Padres game

SAN DIEGO — Gerrit Cole hung a curveball in the top of the strike zone to Fernando Tatis Jr., who deposited it over the right-field wall for a leadoff home run Sunday. The nightmare start for the New York Yankees’ ace was just beginning.Jake Cronenworth followed Tatis’ home run with an opposite-field shot over the left-field wall. That was the Padres’ second baseman’s first opposite-field home run of his seven-year career. Third baseman Manny Machado then joined the home run party with a missile over the center-field wall, giving the Padres a 3-0 lead to open Sunday’s rubber match.Cole was left stunned after Machado’s home run. He turned to watch the ball sail over the wall before staring back at home plate toward catcher Austin Wells in shock. Cole limited the damage to just those three runs, but Ty France, the fourth batter of the game, hit a fly ball that landed one foot in front of the center-field wall.

THE PADRES GO BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK TO START THE GAME AGAINST GERRIT COLE!pic.twitter.com/cWXr2kao0C

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) September 6, 2026“I think that they put really good swings on the ball,” said Cole, who settled in after the back-to-back-to-back blasts. “I thought the curveball squirted out to Tatis. Thought Machado took a great pitch out, unbelievable swing. I thought Cronenworth took a pretty good two-one fastball and put a good swing on it.”This was the second time in Cole’s career that he allowed three home runs to begin a game — and he is the only pitcher to do so twice. The Minnesota Twins accomplished the feat on June 9, 2022, when Luis Arraez, Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa hit three consecutive home runs to begin the game. In that start, Cole was chased after 2 1/3 innings pitched, allowing seven runs. The Yankees rallied to win that game, however, 10-7.The Padres — who beat the Yankees, 4-3, on Sunday — last started a game with three home runs on April 13, 1987, when Marvell Wynne, Tony Gwynn and John Kruk did it off San Francisco Giants starter Roger Mason. The Padres ultimately lost that game 13-6.