The New York Yankees got off to a hot start Saturday, opening a home game against the Milwaukee Brewers by hitting three straight home runs off the first three pitches. That was just the start of the onslaught: New York finished with a team-record nine homers — including three from Aaron Judge — in a 20-9 victory over the Brewers.

The Toronto Blue Jays hold the MLB record for home runs in a game with 10, set in 1987. The Yankees, who were using some interesting hardware, joined the Cincinnati Reds (Sept. 4, 1999) as the only other teams with nine.

New York’s first four homers came against former Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes, who was traded to Milwaukee soon after dropping the ball in New York’s World Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

For the first time in 70 years, two Yankees aged 25 or younger went deep in the first game of the season. The last time that happened, Mickey Mantle was involved, and the Yankees reached the World Series.

Austin Wells, a 25-year-old catcher, and Anthony Volpe, a 24-year-old shortstop, delivered homers Thursday on the way to a relatively breezy, 4-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. 

Southpaw Carlos Rodón cruised through 5 innings in place of injured ace Gerrit Cole. Captain Aaron Judge laced a timely double that doinked off third base in the seventh. Things got hairy for new closer Devin Williams against his former club in the ninth, but the All-Star held on for his first save in pinstripes.

And the home fans — all 46,208 of them went home happy.

Both Volpe and Wells are crucial not just to this season but also to the next half-decade of Yankees baseball. Aaron Judge will turn 33 in April. Cole will be 35 when he returns next season. Goldschmidt, Williams and Bellinger can be free agents this winter. Jazz Chisholm Jr. could depart the next winter.

And so, the blossoming of Volpe, Wells and Domínguez is not a pipe dream or a nice bonus. It is, as Boone said, something the Yankees are “relying upon.”

“Those guys are gonna be a big part of our future — and our success this year.”

Symphony Technology Group managing partner Bill Chisholm has reportedly agreed to purchase the Boston Celtics from the Grousbeck family for a valuation for $6.1 billion, which is the largest sale of a North American sports franchise in history.

The sale surpasses the previous record set when a group led by billionaire Josh Harris purchased the NFL’s Washington Commanders for $6.05 billion in 2023.

The Grousbeck family made a massive profit off the sale, having initially purchased the Celtics for $360 million in 2002. The franchise is the winningest in NBA history with a league-best 3,684 regular season victories and 18 NBA championships, having entered the current 2024-25 season as defending world champions.