$600M'Surprise'SOTO'S PROPOSED'THANK YOU', LEAVE YANKEY STADIUM IN LIGHT OF THE SOTO
Oct 15, 2024
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Soto, who shot a career high in the regular season, is showing off his bat skills that have not cooled down even in the postseason.
In the first game of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) against the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium on the 15th (Korea time), Soto led the team to a 5-2 victory by swinging two hits, one RBI, one run and one walk from three times at bat, including the winning home run.
Soto went as a leadoff hitter in the bottom of the third inning when he was 0-0, pulling a sinker flying into the middle of the fourth pitch of the opponent's starter Alex Cobb and connecting it to an arch well over the right-center fence. With a launch angle of 31 degrees, a batting speed of 109.7 miles and a driving distance of 401 feet, Soto's eighth career home run in the postseason and his first home run this fall.
Taking advantage of Cobb's poor control, the Yankees added two more runs with two wild pitches by opposing pitcher Joey Cantillo in a two-out bases-loaded chance created by Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Volpi.
Soto has a batting average of 0.353 (6 hits in 17 at-bats), one homer, three RBIs, two runs scored, four walks, five strikeouts and an OPS of 1.043 in five postseason games. He batted .288 with 41 home runs, 109 RBIs, 128 runs scored, and an OPS of 0.989 in the regular season. In contrast to fellow Aaron Judge's batting average of 0.322, 58 home runs, 144 RBIs, and OPS of 1.159 in the regular season, but he moaned about a batting average of around 10% in the postseason.
Soto has the strength of being strong in big games.
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The New York Post highlighted Soto's performance in an article titled `Soto has yet to meet his opponent.'
The media outlet said 'Soto came into the spotlight when he was 21 years old. In the 2019 World Series, he hit three home runs with a batting average of 0.333, and when Steven Strasburg was named the series MVP, Soto was also mentioned as a candidate. 'At the time, he played with a near-shock calmness and did something for Washington's victory every day. He was like a 12-year veteran.
After the game, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, `It's not surprising at all. It's what he always does this year. It was a game where you can see what kind of player he is and who he is." Carlos Rodon, who won with nine strikeouts and one run in six innings, said "He lifted us up." He led us," he said with a thumbs up.
Soto said of Cobb, who robbed him of a home run in the third inning "I know the ball he threw well. It's a ball thrown at me three times. I was ready. I tried to hit it hard, and it hit me as it was."
Meanwhile, a male fan in the outfield seat on the right side of Yankee Stadium caught the eye by holding a board with the phrase 'Offer $600 million to Soto'. As if to show right fielder Soto, he carried the board and cheered for him throughout the game. In response, the New York Daily News reported that in Game 1 of the ALCS, a fan named John Mudry visited Yankee Stadium with his wife and made such a tremendous offer to Juan Soto. They hoped that Soto would remain with the Yankees at that point.
Soto told the media that "I really appreciate you making such a proposal. Let's see what happens later this year."
jhno@sportschosun.com
