Juan Soto’s home debut at Yankee Stadium had a little bit of everything, except the offensive line.
The Yankees’ rising star was greeted loudly in the right field seats by a sold-out Bronx crowd, then made his way to the right field stands in response to the Bleacher Creatures’ roll call, removed his hat and bowed to the crowd.
“There’s a first time for everything,” Soto said after the 3-0 loss to Toronto. “First of all, I wanted to express my gratitude to them.”
He conversed with fans during games, used “Empire State of Mind” as one of his four walk-up songs, and even wore custom cleats with New York City themes, including the Manhattan skyline and Yankee Stadium subway station. Worn.
The rest of the afternoon didn’t go as planned, however, as Soto went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
After the second whiff that ended the bottom of the eighth inning, a frustrated Soto slammed his helmet and threw his bat in anger.
“It’s tough,” Soto said of his reaction. “The frustration comes in. You want to do something to move the team forward, and I had a chance to do it and I couldn’t get it done.”
But it’s clear he’s ready for a new home, and Yankees fans are ready to welcome Soto, who was traded from the Padres in the offseason.
“There were high expectations,” Aaron Boone said of Soto’s home debut. “It was good to see the reaction from the fans. We didn’t do very well offensively today and neither did Juan. It was just one of those days.”
Soto had a strong performance in the first four games of the year with nine hits for 17 at bats, a double, a home run and four RBIs, but in the last four games he has one hit for 16 at bats and no extra base hits.
When asked about the “bond” Soto has already formed with New York fans, Boone said, “I think it’s too early to say there’s a bond. We just got here.”
But he expects it to develop quickly.
“Obviously, there are Dominicans living in the Bronx and New York, and it feels like a match made in heaven,” Boone said. “Let’s evaluate our future relationship a little more.” [But] I can’t imagine him not being loved, given the way he does things and the type of player he is.”
The 25-year-old said he wasn’t nervous heading into the match.
“I slept like a baby. [Thursday] It’s night,” Soto said. “I was excited to get here and see what it’s like. I couldn’t wait to meet all the fans.”
Soto, second in the batting order behind Gleyber Torres and in front of Aaron Judge, hit a 112 mph grounder to second base in the first inning, struck out in the second and had a hit in the sixth, allowing just six hits. released. It was his second win in three games.
“I’m looking forward to having him out again.” [Saturday]” said Boone.
