Even though he was 3,000 miles away in New York and no longer with the Cubs, Alfonso Soriano’s former teammates went bonkers in San Francisco after he had a home run and the walk-off hit in the Yankees’ 6-5 win over the Rays on Sunday.
“We were so happy we jumped out of our seats because we saw our boy hit a homer,” Cubs catcher Wellington Castillo said according to the Chicago Tribune Sunday prior to the Cubs defeating the Giants, 2-1.
Soriano spent 6 1/2 seasons with the Cubs before he waived his no trade clause last week to join a struggling Yankees team in need of offense. When Cubs manager Dale Sveum met with the media before the game, there was a loud cheer from the Cubs clubhouse when Sveum found out Soriano had just delivered the big hit.
He had been 0-for-8 in his first two games back with the Yankees before going 4-for-5 Sunday with a two-run home run and the walk-off hit.
Starting pitcher Travis Wood found out while he was warming up, and must have gotten some good vibes from Soriano, as he allowed one run in seven innings to earn the win.
“When I came out, I was like, ‘What happened?,” Wood said.
The Cubs are 3-0 since Soriano’s departure and earned their first series sweep in San Francisco since 1993.