MILWAUKEE — With the Yankees offense yet to take off in full, Aaron Boone changed up the middle of his lineup Saturday, wanting to “stir it up a little bit.”
At least for one game, the result was essentially a chef’s kiss.
New cleanup hitter Alex Verdugo got things started with a three-run home run in the first inning, setting the tone for what was to come the rest of the night as the Yankees cruised past the Brewers, 15-3, at American Family Field.
The 15 runs marked a season-high for the Yankees, with all nine members of the starting batting order reaching base at least once.
They pounded out a season-high 19 hits, including four home runs — three of them coming before the Brewers used a position player to pitch the final two innings — with the rearranged middle of the order right in the heart of all the scoring.
A struggling Gleyber Torres, bumped down to batting seventh Saturday, eclipsed his season RBI total in one at-bat, going the other way for a three-run double in the third inning that was one of his three hits on the night.