thelesterlee
The Yankees used to have a permanent residency in the World Series but they haven’t been to the Promised Land since 2009.
Whether it was Joe Girardi being too tight or Aaron Boone being too loose or injuries or the Houston Astros knowing what pitch was coming or Aroldis Chapman giving up bombs and smiling like he couldn’t wait to refresh his FanDuel account—the Yankees went 15 years without a World Series appearance.
Until they traded for 4-time All-Star and 4-time Silver Slugger, Juan Soto, the missing piece.
BUILD JUAN SOTO A STATUE IN THE BRONX pic.twitter.com/RWJYgvklnU
— Dreadlef Schrempf (@TheLesterLee) October 20, 2024
Are you fucking kidding me?
With the game tied 2 all in the top of the 10th inning, Juan Soto decided to do the exact thing he was acquired to do: have one of the greatest at-bats of all time.
Soto finished the 2024 season with 129 walks (2nd behind Judge), a .419 on-base percentage (2nd behind Judge) and a 180 wRC+ (3rd behind Judge and Ohtani).
Soto reads the strike zone in 1’s and 0’s like Neo in the Matrix. He can slow down bullets.
With his combination of plate discipline and bat speed, he can manipulate pitchers into throwing the exact pitch he wants. Soto slapped foul pitches off, forcing Hunter Gaddis to throw the fastball Juan was waiting to send into the Cuyahoga River.
This is exactly what Soto was acquired to do.
Every year, the Yankees hitters lose their talent as soon as the postseason starts.
Giancarlo Stanton is the only player capable of hitting in the playoffs but he always seems to start limping by Colombus Day—leaving Aaron Judge as the only threat in the lineup, getting every pitcher’s best stuff.
But Juan Soto doesn’t care if it’s Spring Training or the ALCS or a local beer league softball game— you put the bat in his hands with the game on the line and he’s sending a baseball into the parking lot. Every. Time.
This was the greatest trade in Yankees history and no one can tell me otherwise.
Me: He saved my life
Angel: It’s just Juan Soto
Quick shout out to the last Yankees player to send the team to the World Series with a massive extra innings homer:
21 years ago today, Aaron Boone sent the Yankees to the World Series with this walk-off homer in Game 7 💥 pic.twitter.com/bZP6lG89b6
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 16, 2024
We’re going back to the big one, Aaron. We did it. And we didn’t even have to pretend to be excited about a silly McDonald’s mascot.
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