Juan Soto zests fans, teammates after first Yankees walk-off: ‘Never give up’

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NEW YORK — Juan Soto’s first walk-off hit as a Yankee will likely be etched in his memory not for the technical details of the play, but for the exuberant celebration that followed. The Yankees clinched their second consecutive extra-inning victory, defeating the Red Sox 2-1 on Thursday evening at Yankee Stadium.

Juan Soto recounted the electrifying atmosphere, mentioning the crowd’s energy and his teammates’ excitement. He particularly noted the comical moment when Austin Wells charged towards him, leaving Juan Soto momentarily unsure of where to go amidst the jubilation.

“So many things; the crowd, my teammates and everybody,” the slugger said as he smiled. “Those guys were running hard at me. That’s one of the biggest things I’m going to remember. Wellsie [Austin Wells] was coming in and I just didn’t know where to go. It was definitely a fun way to finish the game.”

The win extended the Yankees’ lead in the American League East to two games over the idle Baltimore Orioles. This victory came on the heels of Wednesday night’s thrilling win against the Royals, where Jazz Chisholm Jr. had secured his first walk-off hit. Juan Soto, who had contributed a crucial homer in that game, stepped up as the hero again, driving in pinch-runner Jon Berti with a single to clinch the opening game of this four-game series.

Following the game-winning hit, Aaron Judge and Anthony Volpe doused Juan Soto with orange Gatorade, adding to the celebratory scene. His only previous walk-off experience dated back to April 6, 2021, during the Nationals’ season opener against the Braves.

Juan Soto emphasized the team’s resilience and unwavering spirit, highlighting their determination to keep pushing until the very end of each game. “We’re out there trying our best,” he said. “We never give up. We keep going. We keep our heads up and try to finish the game.”

This pair of walk-off wins marked a rare occurrence for the Yankees, who hadn’t achieved such a feat since May 8-9, 2021, against Washington. The last time they secured back-to-back walk-off victories in extra innings was nearly a decade earlier, on September 21-22, 2012, versus Oakland.

Notably, both teams had struggled with runners in scoring position throughout the game, going a combined 0-for-16 before Juan Soto’s decisive hit off Josh Winckowski broke the deadlock.

Juan Soto elated over first walk-off in pinstripes

When asked about his feeling following his first walk off as a Yankees star, Juan Soto replied, “So many things, the crowd, my teammates and everybody. I mean, those guys, they were running hard on me.
So that’s one of the biggest things I’m going to remember.”

While talking to Ken Rosenthal after the Yankees’ win, Juan Soto told about his frustration of seeing the Yankees losing close games recently. “These last couple of games were particularly frustrating, falling behind and coming back with rallies and pulling one run short each night,” he said. “Yeah, I mean anytime you lose, I think we’re playing good, we’re playing good enough to win. So I think just trusting ourselves, trusting each other and knowing that if we keep going out there and playing like that, we’ll get the job done.”

Yankees fans relish Juan Soto cooler dump bonhomie

While Juan Soto was talking to Rosenthal, Yankees captain Aaron Judge and Anthony Volpe made a cooler dump on him to celebrate the win. The bonhomie elated fans online. A fan wrote, “He looks so comfortable in NY, I am glad he found a home with you guys, and I hope he plays the next 10 years in the pinstripes!”

Another demanded, “Peep the big Yankees emblem on his chain.”

Surprisingly, a fan challenged the Yankees owner to sign Juan Soto, “Hal if you’re reading this just know if you don’t sign Soto I will be taking a dump on Yankee stadium everyday until you sell the team.” Another added a warning, “If we don’t lock this guy down I may do something drastic like call out of work…..for 10 years.”

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