Yankees clinch first World Series berth since 2009 as Juan Soto hits tiebreaking three-run homer in 10th inning of ALCS Game 5 to oust Guardians

CLEVELAND — Giancarlo Stanton stood stoically in a joyous visitor’s clubhouse late Friday night after a wild Yankees victory put them within one win of the World Series.

“As far as I’m concerned, we haven’t done [anything],” Stanton said. “We’ll enjoy this for now, but we’ve got to get it done tomorrow.”

Because of Stanton’s two-out, two-run homer in the sixth inning and Juan Soto’s tiebreaking three-run shot with two outs in the 10th, the Yankees did get it done Saturday night. Their 5-2 victory over the Guardians sent them to the World Series for the first time since 2009, the year of their last championship.

“Team did great, amazing,” managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner told Newsday on the field before the trophy presentation, quickly turning his attention to the several thousand roaring Yankees fans who were a part of the sellout crowd of 32,545 at Progressive Field and remained to cheer well beyond the final out. “I can’t believe these fans. How many.”

Of the 15-year gap between pennants, Steinbrenner said with a weary smile: “It felt long. It felt long. But this is a good night.”

Soto’s 402-foot blast to centerfield on a 1-and-2 pitch from Hunter Gaddis — which followed four straight foul balls — drew the loudest roar of all from those Yankees fans and silenced the rest.

The home run produced three unearned runs, thanks to an error on Cleveland shortstop Brayan Rocchio on Alex Verdugo’s grounder after Austin Wells worked a one-out walk. It was Soto’s third hit of the night and third homer of the postseason, causing half of the visitor’s dugout to pour onto the field in celebration.

“Incredible, and just such an ability to seize the moment,” Aaron Boone said. “Every big moment that he finds himself in the middle, he delivered over and over and over again for us.”

Said second-year shortstop Anthony Volpe: “In the biggest moment with our season on the line, there’s not many people you’d rather have up. He just comes through every single time.”

Luke Weaver pitched a scoreless ninth and came back with a scoreless 10th, with Soto fittingly catching a fly ball to right to end it.

Unlike the previous two games here, each bullpen, the strength of both teams, was up to the task.

After Carlos Rodon allowed two runs and five hits in 4 2⁄3 innings, Mark Leiter Jr., Tim Hill, Jake Cousins and Weaver combined to allow two hits in 5 1⁄3 scoreless innings.

The Guardians led 2-0 entering the sixth before Stanton hit his fifth homer in nine postseason games, a 446-foot two-run shot off Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee.

For Stanton, who is in his 15th big-league season — the first eight of which were spent with the mostly cellar-dwelling Marlins — the emotion of going to a World Series at last was almost too much to put into words.

“I’ve been waiting my whole career for this,” said Stanton, 34, who was named the ALCS MVP. “The steps are, get to the big leagues, then stay in the big leagues, make a name for yourself and try to go for a championship. It’s a long time coming and now I have and we have the opportunity for it.”

Aaron Judge, in his eighth season, has been waiting, too. The closest he previously came to making the World Series was his rookie season in 2017, when the Yankees lost a heartbreaking seven-game series to the Astros, the first of their three ALCS losses to Houston. They bottomed out last season, going 82-80 and missing the playoffs.

“You just look back at all the hard work, all the guys showing up in Tampa when no one else was there after a disappointing season last year, that’s what I go back to,” said Judge, referencing the early arrivals at the club’s minor-league complex in Tampa well before spring training started in February (some players showed up in November). “Thinking about all the hard work these guys put in to come back and have this moment.”

The Guardians led 2-0 entering the sixth, which led to Stanton’s latest moment (he had several in the series before that). Gleyber Torres led off with his second hit and Soto followed with his second hit. Judge grounded into a 6-4-3 double play, dropping him to 5-for-29 to that point of the postseason, which brought up Stanton. He fell behind 0-and-2, worked the count full and launched a middle-of-the-plate slider halfway up the bleachers in left-center to tie it at 2-2. The exit velocity on the drive was 117.5 mph.

“The guy always shows up when we need him,” Judge said of Stanton, his close friend, who has 16 career postseason homers, fourth-most in franchise history behind Bernie Williams (22), Derek Jeter (20) and Mickey Mantle (18). “He’s such a leader.”