Juan Soto brings his back to the Yankees with a home run after an injury scare

NEW YORK – For a moment, fear was palpable at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night during the sixth inning of what may be the Yankees’ best win of the 2024 season.

That's what happens when Juan Soto hops around halfway down the first-base line three weeks before the start of the postseason and falls to his knees after fouling a pitch with the top of his right foot.

Soto stayed down while trainer and manager Aaron Boone tended to him in front of a silent crowd. He tried to walk away the pain, but the pain didn't seem to go away. He limped around. He was visibly uncomfortable. It didn't matter. Soto stayed in the game anyway to continue his at-bat against Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans, an All-Star who had dominated the Yankees up until that point.

This set the stage for Soto’s latest unique moment in the pinstripe jersey.

Soto missed the next pitch with a controlled swing in the other direction. Ragans followed with a curveball. This time Soto was ready and smacked the pitch into the seats behind right field for a decisive two-run home run that ultimately gave the Yankees the 4-3 victory in 11 innings.

“It was a lot of pain, but at the end of the day I tried to focus on the swing,” Soto said. “Sometimes when you hit yourself like that, you get a little bit off the swing, so I tried to just focus, take my time and go in there and make good contact.”

The Yankees had to overcome another late-game deficit to beat the playoff-qualified Royals and win the three-game series. Jazz Chisholm Jr. delivered the final blow with his first career walk-off hit as the Yankees took advantage of the Baltimore Orioles' loss to grab a 1.5-game lead in the American League East with 16 games to go.

But with Soto's momentum, the game changed – and the mood that followed.

“Huge swing from Juan there,” Boone said. “A little rope-a-dope. Got up off the mat and put one in the seats.”

When Soto touched the ball, a commotion broke out in the Yankees' dugout, including Boone. Soto threw his bat, let out a yell and puffed out his chest before beginning his calm walk around the bases. In his last 18 attempts, he had hit two home runs and had seven strikeouts. He had hit just two home runs since Aug. 25. But he said his frustration stemmed from what had happened two pitches earlier.

“You get really angry when you hit yourself,” Soto said. “That's just how it goes. I'm not angry at the pitcher or anything, just angry at myself. But when you get through that, [you feel] a little relief.”

The hit was Soto's 39th home run of the season, marking the third time in his career that he has hit 100 RBIs. According to ESPN Research, Ragan had thrown 543 curveballs in his major league career without allowing a home run on the pitch. Soto, who was on a bad foot, ranked 544th.

“He’s pretty good at this theatrical stuff here,” Boone said.