Juan Soto found the pants he was given as part of the Dominican Republic team’s uniform last year to be too tight. So what a joy it was for him that not only was his idol two lockers away, but he also had a spare pair of pants.
Soto learned that his hero, Robinson Cano, puts on his pants one leg at a time and is generous. Cano said Soto wore a spare pair of uniform pants during the four games the Dominican team played in the World Baseball Classic.
And after DR was eliminated, Soto had a request. Cano said he wants sluggers to not only sign their pants, but write down all of their accomplishments. So Cano wrote the names of World Series champions, Home Run Derby champions and eight-time All-Stars, among others, on the hem of his pants.
“For me, that was one of the coolest moments because one of the best players in the game wanted my autograph,” Cano said by phone from his native Dominican Republic. “As a guy, I was one of his idols and now I’m a big fan of his because I love watching him play.”
At a press conference this week at Steinbrenner Field, Soto said Cano was his childhood idol. He talked about how important it was to him to play on the WBC team with Cano and how much it meant to him that Cano sent him a message after he was traded from the Padres to the Yankees in December. Taka said. Cano received two long suspensions for failing tests for banned substances, which may have damaged his reputation. Despite this, he remains highly admired in general, especially among Dominican players.
So, ever since that press conference, I’ve been trying to get in touch with Kano to talk about our relationship. Because I knew it meant something to Kano. Genealogy of respect is important to him. After all, Cano grew up admiring Bernie Williams. He wore No. 51 in honor for several years in the minors. And being able to play alongside Williams during his first two major league seasons (2005-06) and his final two remains an important part of Cano’s career. So Soto being a Yankee now resonates with Cano, who played the team’s first nine years.
“To me, he’s the perfect player for New York,” Cano said. “He’s not a guy that goes out. He’s never in trouble. He goes about his business. He wants to be the best. You can see his confidence. For a superstar player You can immediately see that everyone plays with the confidence that they can play this game. That was something that stood out to me the first time I saw him play. ”
Cano first communicated with Soto after his breakout rookie season in 2018, and they played against each other regularly as a Met during the 2019-20 season when Soto was a National until Cano received a one-year suspension in 2021. .
Cano continued to play winter ball for his hometown San Pedro de Marcolis team, Estrellas, after being released by three teams last season and is part of the ownership group of the Dubai-based United League of Professional Baseball. It also became. In November, we are looking forward to the start of next winter’s league. Although he hasn’t officially announced his retirement, the closest the 41-year-old may come to reaching the majors this year is when he grew up trying to emulate his swing and, as a 14-year-old, saw his idol win a championship. is an excited player. MVP of the WBC Championship DR team.
“He’s going to the best team,” Cano said. “It’s a team where you get everything you want. And what they want in New York is for you to be ready to play and play hard. … The fans embraced him right away. I think. I think he will love staying there after all [Soto is in his walk year].I see a man like [Aaron] The judges are working on him really well.From the outside looking in, there are a lot of great guys to hug. [Soto] Make him feel part of the family right away. ”
