News Now: Some big players all homer as the Yankees find their groove.

NEW YORK— Juan Soto homered and drove in five runs, while Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton also went deep, as the New York Yankees defeated the Houston Astros 9-4 on Wednesday night.

It was the first time the Yankees’ power trio all connected in the same game, as they won their fifth straight and improved to 6-0 against the Astros this season.

Stanton launched a 119.9-mph rocket into the second deck, the hardest-hit ball in the majors this season.

New York starter Carlos Rodón (3-2) rebounded from his worst performance of the season last week at Baltimore. Despite allowing two runs and seven hits in 6⅓ innings, he received a warm reception from the crowd.

The Astros suffered their fourth consecutive loss and dropped to 12-24, despite home runs from Kyle Tucker and Jeremy Peña.

Soto hit a two-run home run on the first pitch he saw in the opening inning. He connected for a 440-foot drive on a fastball from Houston rookie Spencer Arrighetti (0-4), sending his 10th homer off an advertisement at the back of the Astros’ bullpen in left-center field.

It was Stanton’s third hardest-hit homer since Statcast tracking began in 2015, and it came one night after he crushed a 118.8-mph home run off Justin Verlander.
Judge’s homer was part of his second three-hit game of the season. He also hit two doubles, including a two-run double in the sixth inning that put the Yankees up 8-1.
New York advanced to 34-4 when Stanton and Judge homered in the same game, including in the playoffs. With Soto’s drive, the trio hit a total 1,291 feet of home runs.

New York defeated the Astros for the tenth consecutive match, dating back to last year. The season series will conclude Thursday at Yankee Stadium.
Since the start of last season, the Yankees have gone 11-2 against Houston, who ousted them from the postseason four times between 2015 and 2022, including in the AL Championship Series in 2017, 2019, and 2022.
Soto also hit RBI singles in the second and eighth innings, as well as a run-scoring groundout in the sixth. He is batting.538 (14 for 26) versus the Astros in his first season with the Yankees.
Houston’s Jake Meyers blasted an RBI triple, and Jose Altuve added an RBI double in the ninth. Arrighetti allowed five runs and eight hits over five innings.