Is it possible that the baseball world underestimates this historic Juan Soto season, one playing out almost as a real-time background piece?
The thought crossed at least a few minds as Soto tracked his drive toward the right-field seats in the seventh inning on Tuesday night, flipping his bat before beginning his third trot of the night in the Yankees’ 4-1 victory over the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. Aaron Judge casts a large shadow in the American League’s Most Valuable Player Award race, but even he can’t take his eyes off Soto.
Celebrating the first three-homer game of his illustrious young career, Soto responded by tossing a verbal bouquet toward the Yankees’ captain, saying that Judge’s 42 homers and 107 RBIs make him “the greatest hitter in the world.”
“Look at his numbers; he’s unbelievable,” Soto said. “He makes my job easier. When you’re hitting in front of a guy like that, you know you’re getting pitches. He’s the greatest one.”
Soto drove in all four of the Yankees’ runs, beginning with an opposite-field two-run shot in the third inning off right-hander Jonathan Cannon. Soto hit another homer off Cannon in the fifth, then crushed a solo blast in the seventh, facing left-hander Fraser Ellard.
“It means a lot. It’s really fun, definitely,” Soto said. “It’s really cool to see it, and even better to get the win.”
