Time for Yankees to empty bank for Juan Soto after his massive home run helps secure World Series berth
Yankees' Juan Soto hits a home run in the 10th inning of ALCS Game 5 against the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
CLEVELAND — Memo to Hal Steinbrenner: When it’s time to make an offer to Juan Soto after the season, take out your pinstriped checkbook, hand it to agent Scott Boras and say:
“Write in your own number.”
Soto hit a majestic tiebreaking three-run home run in the top of the 10th inning to power the Yankees to a 5-2 victory over the Guardians in Game 5 of the ALCS on Saturday night.
Steinbrenner’s Yankees are in the World Series for the first time since winning it all in 2009.
After the World Series against the Dodgers or Mets — regardless of whether the Yankees win or lose — Steinbrenner needs to do everything in his power to make sure free-agent-to-be Soto is a Yankee for life.
The thousand or so Yankees fans behind the visiting first-base dugout at Progressive Field made their wishes clear as the Yankees celebrated winning the American League pennant on the Guardians’ diamond:
“Re-sign Soto! Re-sign Soto!” they chanted.
Soto earlier had run over to the fans and raised his arms. The love affair between Soto and Yankees fans started from Day 1 and continues to the Fall Classic.
Steinbrenner was on a makeshift infield platform during later, louder “Re-sign Soto” chants from behind the first-base dugout. Steinbrenner had just hoisted the American League championship trophy. That’s not the hardware the Yankees really want, though. They want World Series trophy No. 28.
And then the biggest trophy of the offseason: re-signing Soto, who will turn 26 on Friday — the same day as Game 1 of the World Series at either Dodger Stadium or Yankee Stadium.
On the field, Steinbrenner told Newsday’s Erik Boland that Soto has been “everything we hoped for, right? He’s been amazing. The fans love him. Teammates love him, and he delivers. As we saw tonight.”
Steinbrenner and general manager Brian Cashman went all-in on 2024 last December when they obtained Soto in a trade with the Padres. The Yankees are always about World Series or bust. That was never truer than this season, which could be the only one Soto spends in the Bronx.
The Yankees eliminated the hard-to-shake Guardians after falling behind 2-0 in Game 5 also because of a tying home run in the sixth by ALCS MVP Giancarlo Stanton (four home runs in the series) and because of 5 1⁄3 innings of scoreless relief by Mark Leiter Jr., Tim Hill, Jake Cousins and winning pitcher Luke Weaver.
It still was 2-2 in the 10th when Soto came up against righthander Hunter Gaddis with two on and two out.
“An at-bat for the ages,” manager Aaron Boone called it, and not just because of the 402-foot final outcome just to the right of dead centerfield.
After a ball and called strike, Soto fouled off a slider. Then another. Then a changeup. Then another changeup. Then a slider.
When the count got to 1-and-2, Soto cut down on his swing and started shooting the ball foul to the opposite field.
In six pitches, Gaddis had yet to throw a fastball.
Then came pitch No. 7. It came in at 95 mph. It went out at 110. It was high — a launch angle of 37 degrees — and it kept carrying until it landed in the stands.
Soto knew it was gone the moment he swung.
“I’m just waiting for the mistake, you know?” he said. “I’m just saying to myself, ‘I’m all over every pitch. I’m all over every pitch. Be ready. Be ready. He’s going to make a mistake.’ He did and I got it.”
Said Stanton: “He was taking balls out of the catcher’s glove, it seemed like. Shooting fouls over there [points to leftfield], but still being ready for the heater to hit it out is incredible. It’s unreal.”
It’s real, and it’s spectacular, and now the Yankees are back in the World Series.
The last out of the ALCS was a fly ball to right by Lane Thomas. Soto squeezed it, then raced in to join the dogpile of Yankees near the pitcher’s mound.
The Yankees put on “American League Champion” T-shirts and World Series hats and celebrated with each other and their families before going back to the clubhouse for their fourth champagne-soaked party of the season (also for clinching a playoff spot, clinching the AL East title and beating Kansas City in the AL Division Series).
They are hoping for one more chance to pop the corks.
And then an email showed up from the Yankees, announcing that 2024 World Series merchandise was going on sale at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday at the Yankee Stadium team store.
Maybe stop by and pick up a Juan Soto No. 22 jersey for yourself and to help out Steinbrenner. He might need that money to re-sign Soto at any cost.
And Soto just might be worth it.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.