Juan Soto, the man for special occasions! The Dominican homered into the stands at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Saturday night in the top of the 10th inning to send the New York Yankees to the World Series for the first time since 2009.
The Yankees won by a score of 5-2 to sweep the Guardians in five games in the American League Championship Series.
The Bronx Bombers won their 27th and final title in their final appearance in the major league finals, defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in six games.
The 2:2 tie persisted even after nine regulation innings. The Guardians were the first to register. In the bottom of the second inning, Bo Naylor caught Josh Naylor on a bunt at home plate. Steven Kwan doubled his team’s lead in the bottom of the fifth with a single that allowed Andrés Gimenez to single.
The Yankees’ answer came from the bat of the mighty Giancarlo Stanton in the top of the sixth inning. His two-run homer put both teams back on top.
Then, in the next inning, Soto broke the deadlock by catapulting a pitch off reliever Hunter Gaddis. Endgame specialist Ryan Weaver then took it upon himself to neutralize the Guardians.
The Yankees will face either the Los Angeles Dodgers or the New York Mets, who stayed alive with a 10-6 victory Friday night to cut their lead to 3-2 in the National League Championship Series.
