LOS ANGELES — Josh Donaldson went nearly two months between games, but he came back looking like he was making up for lost time.
The Yankees third baseman slugged two home runs Friday night in an 8-4 loss to the Dodgers while playing his first game since April 5 because of a strained hamstring.
It marked the 37-year-old Donaldson’s first multi-home run in a Yankees uniform, offering hope that his bat can provide much more of an impact than it did last season.
“Today’s one day,” Donaldson said. “Gotta come out and do it again [Saturday].”
Donaldson’s first home run came in his first at-bat against Clayton Kershaw, crushing a slider 446 feet to left-center field for a solo shot.
Then, in the ninth inning against reliever Phil Bickford, Donaldson added a two-run homer to the same spot that traveled 418 feet.
Donaldson and Giancarlo Stanton, who also homered in his first game back from the IL because of a strained hamstring, provided all of the offense for the Yankees on Friday night.
“Every at-bat Giancarlo had was good,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He was on time all night, all the way to that last [at-bat] where he works the walk. Obviously JD really getting into a couple balls and hit a ball pretty well to third, too. Good to see those guys come in and just be on time and obviously really impact the ball.”