Juan Soto was expected to be the key player who would help the New York Yankees return to greatness. They are now just one step away.
Soto hit a three-run homer with two outs in the 10th inning, leading the Yankees to a 5-2 victory over the Cleveland Guardians in Game 5 of the AL Championship Series on Saturday night. This win sent the Yankees to their 41st World Series and their first in 15 years.
Baseball’s biggest team is back on the big stage in October. Soto, who was brought to the team in a seven-player trade from San Diego in December, made a huge impact with one powerful swing.
This was the reason he joined the Yankees, for moments like this and many more. “Obviously he had an amazing season statistically, but in the biggest moments, that’s what he does,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “And it shouldn’t be taken for granted.”
After missing the playoffs last year, the Yankees are now aiming for their 28th title, facing either the New York Mets or Los Angeles Dodgers. Game 6 of the NL Championship Series will be played on Sunday night at Dodger Stadium.
With the game tied at 2-2 in the third close game in three nights at Progressive Field, Austin Wells walked with one out in the 10th. Alex Verdugo then hit a grounder to Guardians second baseman Andrés Giménez, but his soft toss to rookie shortstop Brayan Rocchio was dropped, resulting in an error.
Hunter Gaddis struck out Gleyber Torres and had Soto at a 1-2 count. However, New York’s talented outfielder fouled off four pitches before hitting a towering homer over the center field wall.
“Just an at-bat for the ages,” Boone said. Soto celebrated as he ran down the first-base line, pausing to enjoy the moment with his teammates before completing his trip around the bases.
“I was just saying to myself: ‘You’re all over that guy. You’re all over that guy. He ain’t got anything,’” said Soto, who is now alongside Boone as the only Yankees players to hit a homer in an extra-inning, series-clinching game.
Luke Weaver closed out the game by getting the final three outs, with Lane Thomas flying out to right field for the last out, which Soto caught—of course.
When he arrived in New York, some people questioned how well he would fit in. Could he handle the intense pressure of playing in the Big Apple, where every game is analyzed as if it’s a season? Could he get along with Aaron Judge?
Not only has Soto adjusted well, but he has also taken the lead.
“He’s just easy to be around,” Boone said. “You bring a superstar player in, and you wonder how he will act. He’s just one of the guys. It’s been great to see; I don’t have to worry about him. He’s fine. I feel like I’ve built a strong relationship with him, but he’s still one of the guys.”
The 25-year-old Soto will be a free agent this winter, and Yankees fans chanted “Re-sign Soto!” during the postgame celebration. He is expected to get a contract worth more than $600 million, and his performance in Game 5 might have increased his value.
“I think we should re-sign Soto,” third baseman Jazz Chisolm Jr. said. “Seven-hundred million dollars, final offer!” Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run homer and was named ALCS MVP as the Yankees defeated the Guardians in five games. It wasn’t an easy path.
New York won the first two games at Yankee Stadium without much excitement. However, things changed in Cleveland, where all three games at Progressive Field were very close.
The Guardians made a comeback to win Game 3 with two, two-run homers in their last two at-bats, while the Yankees managed to win Game 4 after nearly losing a four-run lead.
“This was a roller coaster and we were able to just keep punching back,” Stanton said. “We know there’s much more work to do and it’s only uphill from here and we got to get it done.”
Cleveland simply didn’t have enough, and their surprising season under first-year manager Stephen Vogt ended just short of the World Series. The team still hasn’t won a title since 1948, which is the longest drought in baseball.
“There’s only one team that gets to win the last game of the year, and unfortunately it’s not going to be us,” Vogt said. “But we accomplished a lot as a group. We got better. We worked extremely hard. I couldn’t be more proud of this group. We just didn’t get quite as far as we wanted to.”
The Yankees are back in the World Series, where their fans expect them to be every year.
The club’s 82-80, fourth-place finish in the AL East last season led to some “soul searching as an organization” during the winter, according to Boone, who has faced criticism but is one of only three managers to take New York to the playoffs in six of his first seven seasons.
While the team’s core mostly stayed the same, acquiring Soto in a big trade on December 7 — when New York sent five players to San Diego for the three-time All-Star — helped them return as title contenders.
“That was a good day,” Boone said with a laugh before the game.
Stanton’s 446-foot homer into the left-field bleachers tied the game at 2 in the sixth inning and sent Tanner Bibee to the bench. Bibee had struck out New York’s powerful DH in his first two at-bats and kept the Yankees scoreless for the first five innings.
This was Stanton’s fourth home run in this series—his third in three days—and his 16th in the postseason, placing him fourth on the team’s career list behind Bernie Williams (22), Derek Jeter (20), and Mickey Mantle (18).
“That’s as good a swing that you can put on a ball,” Boone said. Boone, who comes from a famous baseball family, finally felt the pressure ease after meeting expectations.
“We’ve had some great groups, some great camaraderie, some great clubhouses,” Boone said. “This group is as close as I’ve ever seen, and they trust each other. They lean on each other. They love each other. They play for each other.”
Like Soto, Chisholm was new to the Yankees after a trade from Miami in July. But from the moment he arrived, he felt he joined something special.
“I thought I was just going to come to a baseball team,” he said. “But came into a family.”
