Baby Bombers make HR history in Bronx

Austin, Judge go back-to-back in debuts

NEW YORK — In the first at-bat of his major league debut Saturday, Tyler Austin sliced a 2-and-2 fastball from Tampa Bay right-hander Matt Andriese to the opposite field.

The arcing drive landed 331 feet from home plate in the first row over Yankee Stadium’s short porch in right, about 3 feet fair, and rebounded onto the field.

“I was ecstatic on deck. I was, ‘Oh, man, I’ve just got to make contact now,’” said Aaron Judge, about to hit in the big leagues for the first time.

Just 114 seconds later, Judge rocketed a changeup that clanked off the railing above the center-field sports bar and into the netting above Monument Park, becoming the third player to homer over the batter’s eye at the park.

Teammates never before had homered in their first major league atbats in the same game.

Now New York’s 24-year-old newbies had done it back-to-back, in a five-pitch span of the second inning. Baby Bombers indeed. “That thing was a hit a ton,” an awestruck Austin said Saturday after the Yankees’ 8-4 win over the Rays.

On a humid, 95-degree afternoon, and on the same day Alex Rodriguez officially was released, the future came fast for the Yankees.

Only once before had two players homered in the first at-bat of their debuts in the same game, and they were on opposing teams: Brooklyn’s Ernie Koy and the Phillies’ Heinie Mueller in the first inning at Philadelphia’s Baker Bowl on April 19, 1938.

Austin and Judge each went 2-for4. Austin, wearing No. 26, also stole a base. Judge, in uniform No. 99, looked like Paul Bunyan at a burly 6 feet 7 inches and 275 pounds.

“We brought up some big boys,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “Tyler Austin’s probably 225, 230 pounds, and he looks tiny next to Aaron Judge.”

Called up before the game as part of a youth movement that led to Rodriguez’s release, Austin batted seventh and Judge eighth.

Aaron Hicks hit a three-run homer in the fifth for a 6-3 lead, and Starlin Castro and Didi Gregorius — batting cleanup for the first time in his big league career — also went deep.

The Yankees (60-56), whose homers all came from players 26 and younger, won their fourth straight and matched their season high of four games over .500.

Brad Miller homered twice for Tampa Bay, a three-run drive and a solo shot off Masahiro Tanaka (9-4). Andriese (6-4) took the loss.

New York started two players making their big league debuts for the first time since center fielder Jim Lyttle and catcher John Ellis against the California Angels on May 17, 1969.

The two newcomers joined 23-year-old catcher Gary Sanchez, hitting .313 (10-for-32) with three doubles, a home run and four RBIs since he was brought up Aug. 3.