ALCS Game 5 Player of the Game: Juan Soto
10/20/2024 07:50 AM
Who else but the superstar offseason addition would step up and push the Yankees into the World Series?
On December 6, 2023 the New York Yankees finalized a deal with the San Diego Padres to acquire Juan Soto in the blockbuster deal of the offseason. On October 19, 2024, Soto put the Yankees in the World Series for the first time in 15 years with one massive swing.
Tied at two in the 10th inning, the Yankees started off a rally with a one out walk to Austin Wells. Alex Verdugo hit a grounder over to second that the Guardians couldn't quite flip to the bag in time, instead bobbling it and giving the Yankees runners on first and second with one out. Gleyber Torres was up next but was retired on four pitches, bringing Soto to the plate with two on and two out — about as crucial a situation as a batter can find himself in. What came next was Soto's most iconic moment in pinstripes to date and perhaps one of the best postseason at-bats in MLB history.
Hunter Gaddis started him off with a slider inside for ball one. Gaddis worked another slider just high enough to catch the strike zone to even the count with his second pitch. The next four pitches were a mix of changeups and sliders that Soto fought his hardest to foul off and continue the at-bat, all of them in the strike zone. Then came pitch seven, the first four-seamer that Soto saw coming in at 95 mph up in the zone. Soto muscled his bat through well enough to do this to that offering:
Soto knew it as soon as he saw it fly off of his bat, even if the rest of us watching at home were still anxiously watching Lane Thomas drifting back in center field slowly running out of real estate. He watched it go, turned towards the Yankee dugout and celebrated with his teammates, and then completed the formality of trotting around the bases to cap off his go-ahead three-run home run.
The Guardians were in a bind from the moment that Soto stepped to the plate, and he made them pay. Prior to this at-bat, only Giancarlo Stanton could lay claim to this honor over him having blasted a two-run shot to tie the game back in the sixth inning. Soto had more than done his part to kickstart the offense in regulation, going 2-for-4 with a double to be one of two Yankees to get multiple hits in this game. His missile to straightaway center sealed the deal, however, and sealed this series away for good. Luke Weaver already was on the mound for the bottom of the ninth to hold the tie, and made quick work of Cleveland in the 10th to never give them a chance of challenging the lead Soto had produced.
The Yankees unloaded a king's ransom to get Soto in pinstripes for this season, knowing that they would only get one guaranteed shot with him before he hit free agency. They had to make the most of this season, back him up with talent across the roster to make sure they could get to a moment like this, and then trust the superstar to deliver when they needed it most. They held up their end of the deal, and then Soto did the same. The Yankees are moving onto the World Series, and they have Juan Soto to thank for getting them the final step there.
