When the New York Yankees traded five players for Juan Soto in December, it was for moments like this. The Yankees are going to the World Series because Soto hit a go-ahead three-run home run in the top of the 10th inning of Game 5 of the ALCS on Saturday night (NY 5, CLE 2 in 10 innings). It was a terrific seven-pitch at-bat against Guardians righty Hunter Gaddis that saw Soto foul away three two-strike pitches.
Here is Soto's pennant-winning home run:
"We have all the talent that we need to go all the way," Soto said during an on-field interview after Game 5. "Right now, we're feeling really good. We're really sticking together. We're pushing each other. We're feeling really good. Right now, we're going to the World Series, and we got another series to win."
Soto did not win ALCS MVP -- that went to Giancarlo Stanton -- but he had a terrific series, going 7 for 19 (.368) with three homers and more walks (four) than strikeouts (three) against the Cleveland Guardians. Fittingly, Soto also caught the final out of the ALCS, a Lane Thomas fly ball to right field. The man delivered in every way in the tenth inning.
Here is a breakdown of Soto's game-winning blast in Game 5.
Pitch 1: Slider for a ball
Gaddis had a fantastic regular season, throwing 74 1/3 innings with a 1.57 ERA. He did it by throwing roughly 60% sliders and changeups. It's a very new-school approach. Bury hitters with pitches that move and only show them fastballs when you have to. So, naturally, Gaddis started Soto with a first-pitch slider. He missed down and in.
Soto gave Gaddis the Soto shuffle and a staredown, which the slugger does when he's really locked into the competition. He's said it's a show of respect and not him showing up the pitcher. With runners on first and second and two outs, Gaddis threw a slider that was an easy take to fall behind in the count 1-0.
Pitch 2: Slider for a called strike
A perfect pitch, really. An excellent frame job by young catcher Bo Naylor, who had two hits in the game and opened the scoring in Game 5 with an RBI double against Carlos Rodón. Gaddis executed a perfect slider at the knees for a called strike:
Soto let out a little sigh and a small jump at the plate to express his displeasure with the called strike, but yeah, that was perfectly located. Swing at that pitch and Soto hits a ground ball to second or short. This evened the count at 1-1.
Pitch 3: Slider fouled away
Watching Game 5 live, I thought this was the pitch. This was the pitch Soto was supposed to hammer, and he missed it. He fouled it away and fell behind in the count 1-2. Gaddis hung a slider and survived to throw another pitch.
During the regular season, Soto hit only .200 with a .360 slugging percentage against middle-middle breaking balls, if you can believe that. The MLB averages were a .320 batting average and .618 slugging percentage on middle-middle breaking balls.
After fouling the ball, Soto gave Gaddis another nod of respect. He knew he missed a good pitch to hit.
Pitch 4: Changeup fouled away
Soto is so much more than homers and walks. He's a brilliant contact hitter. His swinging strike rate was 7.4% during the regular season, which was actually his worst since 2019. The league average is 11.1%, and Soto's 7.4% was top 25 among qualified hitters. He swung and missed less than noted contact hitters like Andrew Benintendi (8.6%) and Freddie Freeman (8.8%).
On the first 1-2 pitch, Gaddis threw a really great changeup at the knees, and Soto fouled it away with what can best be described as an emergency hack. Soto swung at the last moment to foul this pitch away, and extend the at-bat.
That's about as ugly a swing as you'll see Soto take, but it served its purpose. Soto fouled away a great changeup and kept the at-bat going, and gave himself another chance.
Pitch 5: Changeup fouled away
Not a great pitch by Gaddis. He left a changeup up -- way up, above the zone, so high that Soto couldn't really do anything with it. The best case is poking it the other way for a single. Instead, Soto fouled this pitch away.
This was a "foul away this pitch and hope to get something better" swing. The changeup was up and maybe above the zone, but Soto couldn't risk a called strike there, so he had to spoil it.
Pitch 6: Slider fouled away
Three sliders, two changeups, then back to the slider. Gaddis tried to backdoor this one, and he did, but Soto spoiled it. Good pitch by Gaddis here. It was going to be tough to Soto to really get around on a slider in this location and drive it.
Six pitches into the at-bat, Soto had seen nothing but sliders and changeups. Gaddis was sticking with his bread and butter. The season was on the line and he was trying to get Soto out with his two best pitches.
Pitch 7: Fastball for a homer
On pitch No. 7, Gaddis tried to sneak the cheese past the rat. After four sliders and two changeups, he went to his fastball, and elevated it above the zone. Elevated fastballs are an excellent swing-and-miss pitch and Gaddis has plenty of velocity. This heater was 95.2 mph. Plenty good enough to get an out.
Gaddis did not elevate the two-strike fastball enough, however. Soto's power stroke is to center and right-center, and he's very good at hitting balls at the letters. That's what he did on the Game 5 winner.
Gaddis surrendered four home runs during the regular season -- three on his fastball, one on a slider, and none on the changeup. He showed Soto four sliders and two changeups before giving in and showing him a heater. Soto waited him out, fouling away several quality pitches that would have sent lesser hitters packing, and then pounced on the hittable fastball.
"I was all over him," Soto said about facing Gaddis after Game 5. "That was the only thing I was thinking. I was just saying to myself, 'You're all over that guy. You're all over that guy. He ain't got anything.' Just had to make good contact, and I did."
