SAN FRANCISCO — Much of the Yankees’ weekend revolved around Aaron Judge, and rightly so: The former Giants fan turned in a masterful performance in his first game at the stadium near where he grew up.
But on Sunday afternoon, Judge’s superstar co-star stole the show.
Juan Soto hit two home runs, the second of which put the Yankees ahead in the ninth inning, and they cruised to a 7-5 sweep of the Giants at Oracle Park.
The dramatic comeback capped a West Coast tour for the Yankees (42-19), who went 7-2 against the Padres, Angels and Giants before returning home Sunday night and enjoying an off day on Monday.
The Giants (29-31) led 5-3 going into the ninth inning and brought in closer Camilo Doval, who had held opposing batters to a .198 batting average entering Sunday, but Gleyber Torres singled to lead off the inning and, with one out, the Yankees pulled within 5-4 on Anthony Volpe’s triple to right-center field.
Soto then came to bat and smashed a cutter down the middle into the right field stands, nearly setting off a McCorvey Cove frenzy. His 17th home run of the season gave the Yankees a 6-5 lead.
The team added another run when Judge walked and stole second base, then Giancarlo Stanton hit a ground-rule double (his 1,500th career hit).
Clay Holmes delivered a game-winning pitch in the ninth inning to cap off this special trip.
The Yankees had pitched at least five innings in 19 straight games entering Sunday, but Nestor Cortes was forced to throw 95 pitches against the Giants, pitching just 4 1/3 innings. Cortes gave up seven hits and three runs, including two solo homers, while striking out seven. The left-hander has allowed 10 home runs this season, eight of which have come on the road.
Cortes faced Giants left-hander Blake Snell, a National League Cy Young Award winner who many fans had hoped the Yankees would sign this offseason before he was traded to San Francisco in mid-March for a two-year, $62 million contract. Snell, who came into the game with a 10.42 ERA in five starts after missing most of spring training, was pitching his best game of the season before leaving the game in the fifth inning with left groin tightness.
The Yankees took advantage, as left-handed relief pitcher Eric Miller replaced Snell and got Alex Verdugo out with the bases loaded and two outs and the count at 1-1, but Verdugo hit a two-run double into the right field corner to tie the game at 3-3.
The Giants regained the lead in the sixth inning when relief pitcher Dennis Santana loaded the bases with two outs, then Heliot Ramos hit a two-run single to score.
Soto hit a solo homer off Snell in the top of the first inning, his 16th of the year, to give the Yankees an early lead.
But the Giants got one run each off Cortes in the second, third and fourth innings. In the second, they scored on a double by Jorge Soler and a single by Casey Schmidt. In the next inning, Ramos and Schmidt sent Cortes home with two strikes each to make it 3-1.
