Gerrit Cole was far from his best, the defense behind him struggled through its most embarrassing play of the season and a banged-up Anthony Rizzo was knocked from the game early.
But the Yankees salvaged an exasperating afternoon when their offense turned relentless.
The Yankees climbed out of a pair of early holes and exploded for seven runs in the third inning in a 10-7 win over the Padres in front of the biggest crowd of the season in The Bronx.
A sellout of 47,295 watched the Yankees (32-23) take the series to finish a 3-3 homestand against the Orioles and Padres (24-29) before they begin a three-game set in Seattle on Monday.
Each of their past five victories has involved a comeback, and they had to launch two Sunday.
Cole dug a 1-0 hole in the first (on a Jake Cronenworth home run), and the Yankees climbed out (with an Aaron Judge homer) in the bottom of the inning.
The Yankees dug a 3-1 hole in the second (with a particularly ugly, multi-error play), which set up the third-inning explosion.
“I think everybody was a little upset at themselves,” Judge said after the Yankees turned a Padres single into a Little League home run. “I think everybody stepped up and said, ‘Let’s answer back here.’ ”
Thus started a seven-run outburst in which the Yankees used eight hits — including three doubles, two from Kyle Higashioka — to run away from the Padres.
Yu Darvish did not survive the inning and gave up hits to the first five Yankees batters he saw, only interrupted by a would-be home run from DJ LeMahieu that center fielder Trent Grisham robbed.
Darvish could not seize momentum from the terrific catch.
Harrison Bader’s fielder’s choice scored the fourth run of the inning and Willie Calhoun’s double the fifth.
“When everyone’s contributing and a threat, that’s big, especially against a guy like Darvish,” manager Aaron Boone said of an inning in which seven Yankees batters contributed an RBI.
Righty Drew Carlton entered and allowed the inning’s sixth run on an Isiah Kiner-Falefa single and the seventh on Higashioka’s second double.
Higashioka became the third Yankee in the past eight years to record multiple extra-base hits in the same inning, joining Gleyber Torres (in September 2022) and LeMahieu (in June 2019).
By the time it was over, the Yankees had sent 11 batters to the plate.
“I’m just glad the guys picked me up with a big offensive inning after that incident where I tried to throw it into the second deck,” Higashioka said with a smile.
He could smile because the Yankees’ offense made up for their defense. In the second inning, with Ha-Seong Kim on second base, Jose Azocar lined a two-out single off Cole into center field, and Bader came up throwing — far too strong.
Bader sailed a throw over Higashioka, who then sprinted back because Cole, who remained by the mound, did not back up on the play.
Higashioka retrieved the ball and had a chance to throw out Azocar at third base, and the catcher, too, airmailed the throw far over LeMahieu. Azocar scored after a single, two errors and one mental mistake by Cole.
“I just got a little out of control,” Higashioka said.
“We didn’t play catch right there,” Boone said after a so-so start from his ace.
Cole was charged with six runs (five earned) in six-plus innings in which he allowed just four hits, but two were home runs.
Rougned Odor smacked a two-run shot in the seventh off Cole, who was pulled when Kim followed with a single.
Jimmy Cordero entered and allowed Kim to score, but Cordero struck out Fernando Tatis Jr. and Brett Sullivan, who both represented the tying run.
A couple of eighth-inning runs courtesy of a Bader homer and an RBI single from Higashioka (who finished 3-for-4) provided a cushion.
Ron Marinaccio and Clay Holmes finished the job for the Yankees, whose biggest scare involved Rizzo in the sixth inning.
The valuable first baseman hurt his neck and was pulled for “precautionary reasons,” the club said, after applying a successful pickoff tag to Tatis, whose hip knocked Rizzo in the head.
Rizzo was soon lifted and passed concussion tests afterward. According to Boone, Rizzo is “fine.”
As are the Yankees after a matinee in which little went smoothly apart from their persistent offensive attack.
