SAN DIEGO (AP) — Fernando Tatis Jr., Jake Cronenworth and Manny Machado hit consecutive home runs off Gerrit Cole to open the bottom of the first inning, and the San Diego Padres held off the New York Yankees 4-3 to take two of three games in their series.
San Diego starter Michael King pitched six shutout innings against his former team. Luis Campusano added a leadoff homer against Cole in the seventh for the Padres, who remained a half-game behind
Arizona for the third National League wild card.
The Yankees rallied for three runs off reliever Adrian Morejon in the eighth, highlighted by an RBI double from rookie Spencer Jones, who is from northern San Diego County.
Mason Miller pitched the ninth for his 33rd save, striking out Ben Rice with a runner on first to end it.
The Yankees (81-62) need one more victory to clinch their 34th consecutive winning season. They hold the American League's top wild-card spot by 2 1/2 games over rival Boston and trail first-place Tampa Bay by four games in the AL East.
The Padres banged the ball all around Petco Park in taking a 3-0 lead on the first 15 pitches from Cole, a Southern California native who gave up three consecutive homers to open a game for the second time in his career. It was the third time he served up three homers in an inning.
Tatis went opposite field to right for his 20th. It was his 19th career leadoff homer and third this season.
Cronenworth hit his first career opposite-field shot just fair to the base of the Western Metal Supply Co. brick warehouse in the left-field corner. It was his fifth.
Machado homered to straightaway center, his 26th.
Cole (8-8) allowed four runs and six hits in seven innings.
King (10-9) held the Yankees to four hits. He struck out three and walked three. It was the second time he faced his old team since he came over to San Diego in the seven-player trade that sent Juan Soto and Trent Grisham to New York on Dec. 7, 2023.
Yankees RHP Cam Schlittler (12-6, 2.04 ERA) is scheduled to start Tuesday night in the opener of a home series against Colorado.
The Padres hadn't announced a starter for Monday's opener of a home series against Washington.
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