CLEVELAND — That was the whole point of the trade. That's why the Yankees gave the Padres what they needed to make it happen.
This is because last year was an embarrassing year for the Yankees, who couldn't make it to the playoffs. And the 14 years without a pennant were an eternity in pinstripes. That requires prospects Michael King and Drew Thorpe, along with three other players, plus a $31 million contract, with the Yankees only guaranteed one year of Juan Soto. I needed the knowledge that it was, but it was what I needed.
They will be worried about what happens after the season ends in 2025. The key was for their season to end in the World Series.
That's the plan.
With two outs in the 10th inning of overtime, Soto hit a three-run homer. Although he was trailing Hunter Gaddis 1-2 in the count, he still appeared to be in command. That's the magic of Soto. The turn at bat is always his. The moment is never bigger than the person.
Thus, the Yankees won Game 5 of the ALCS with a score of 5-2. They won their 41st American League pennant. They will be part of the 120th Fall Classic because Soto hit a home run 5,463 days after the Yankees last appeared and won the World Series.
There were other heroes as well. Giancarlo Stanton tied the game in the sixth inning with his fourth home run of the series and 16th of his illustrious postseason career. And Mark Leiter Jr., Tim Hill, Jake Cousins and Luke Weaver put together 5¹/₃ shutout relief innings, with most of that group working on smoke.
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But the decisive night belonged to Soto. He had a great first season with the Yankees and two great playoff rounds in a row. The cha-ching will get even louder for him in the offseason of free agency. But that's a story for later.
The challenge now is to return to the World Series, the Yankees' longtime home. This ended the second-longest drought in history without a World Series, spanning 14 years from 1982 to 1995, second only to the longest drought from 1903 to 1920.
Soto was a culture changer for the Yankees. He gave them left-handed greatness that they desperately needed. But also, his calmness and patience were contagious to the entire team. The Yankees have had much better at-bats this year than they did last year, and Soto's influence has been huge.
This postseason, Gleyber Torres and Soto have improved at the top of the lineup.
For the seventh time in nine playoff games, both players reached base safely. However, they were only able to score four points, thanks to Soto's two-run homer, Soto's RBI, and a pop-up by Guardians shortstop Brayan Rocchio that dropped off Aaron Judge's bat.
Torres and Soto have combined for no runs in 15 of 18 at-bats, and the other Yankees are hitless in 23 innings, including Judge's eight no-hit innings.
But Saturday's first hit wasn't the only problem. The Yankees are the worst base running team in the majors in terms of metrics and acuity. Torres led off with a single. Soto then hit a double that hit the wall to right-center field. Torres is not fast. There were no outs. Judge and Stanton were scheduled next. Third base coach Luis Rojas should have held Torres back.
But when he saw the ball reach the wall, he immediately wanted to run away. But Johnkensie Noel landed a hard peg on Andres Jimenez, who nailed Torres with a nice feed to the plate.
This had a chilling effect on the Yankees' offense, similar to the removal of Jose Trevino from first base in the second inning of Game 3. That robbed the Yankees of their momentum and allowed the Guardians' struggling starting pitchers (Matt Boyd in Game 3, Tanner Bibby on Saturday) to settle. Especially for these Guardians, they can go down and get deep into the game.
Cleveland's problem is that manager Stephen Vogt allowed one batter too many against Bibby. Torres and Soto again singled to lead off the sixth inning. But Judge called it a double play. Bybee then gave Stanton a full count before Stanton hit a tying two-run home run.
This is a wightout for all of the Yankees' infractions. They can take the ball out of the ballpark and are also good at stopping the run. The bullpen kept the Guardians in check, and Soto provided additional strength.
He brought what he got. All regular season. Then, through the second round of the playoffs, to his final at-bat in the American League this season.
Soto hit 402 feet into the right field seats, sending the Yankees back to the World Series.
It was a great moment for Juan.
