As Hal Steinbrenner took the stage late Saturday night to receive the trophy for winning the American League pennant, Yankees fans who gathered behind the visiting dugout at Progressive Field were already thinking about the future.
The Yankees had just punched their ticket to the franchise’s first World Series in 15 years, but their fans wanted to make sure the superstar who delivered the final blow in Game 5 of the ALCS would be sticking around for more Octobers to come.
“Re-sign Soto!” they chanted, echoing a familiar refrain that echoed through Yankee Stadium throughout the second half of the season.
They weren’t the only ones.
“I think we should re-sign Soto, $700 million” Jazz Chisholm Jr. said later in the clubhouse amidst a raucous champagne and beer celebration. “That’s my number. Final offer.”
Others were slightly more subtle, though the message remained the same.
“We need him to stay. He’s going to stay,” ALCS MVP Giancarlo Stanton said. “We gotta bring it [a championship] home and then we’ll bring him home.”
Of course, that will all play out once the World Series is over and into the winter.
But first Soto made sure the Yankees will have a chance to win it all this year after his heroics in a classic Soto at-bat in the 10th inning.
He got into a 1-1 count against Guardians right-hander Hunter Gaddis and then fouled off two sliders and two changeups.
He knew he was “all over every pitch,” but was spoiling the off-speed ones while waiting for a mistake on which he could do damage.
It finally came on the seventh pitch of the at-bat, a 95 mph fastball at the top of the zone that Soto pounced on and skied to center field. Some of his teammates worried it might be too high to get out, but the ball just kept drifting and landed beyond the wall for a three-run shot.
“The more pitches he sees, the more dangerous he becomes, just downloading the release point, the timing, everything,” Stanton said. “It seemed like he took a few of those balls out the catcher’s glove. Incredible moment and exactly who he is.”
Halfway up the first-base line, Soto turned to the Yankees dugout and pounded his chest as his teammates spilled onto the dirt in a frenzy.
“I felt like I was laying in a coffin after he hit it, ’cause I was dead,” Chisholm said. “My body just went from having a heart attack to not.”
Inside a suite at Progressive Field. Brian Cashman clutched his hands together in a prayer sign, uttered, “Oh my God,” and then started worrying about getting the final three outs.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the Yankees in the postseason:
- Yankees’ season ends in heartbreak as they choke away Game 5 of World Series
- Aaron Judge’s crucial mistake erased breakout World Series moment
- Yankees’ Austin Wells hit with catcher’s interference call in brutal World Series moment
- Juan Soto’s season ends with million-dollar questions with Yankees future now murky
The Yankees acquired Soto for moments like this, and Soto was basking in it all.
“Thank you to everybody who was involved in this trade,” Soto said, standing on the mound amidst the on-field celebration. “I’m really happy with that. I’m really happy to be here. Traded me to one of the best teams I’ve ever been on in my life.”
The Yankees did more than just trade for Soto to go from 82-80 to American League champions.
They had improvement from within from last year’s roster (most notably Stanton and Carlos Rodon), mostly stayed healthier and also acquired Alex Verdugo in the offseason and Chisholm at the trade deadline.
But the impact of Soto was undeniable in getting the Yankees over the top.
“That was the whole purpose of going all-in,” Cashman said on the field after securing the seventh AL pennant during his tenure as GM. “We gave up a lot and it was a one-year deal for a lot of money. So it was a big chess move, no doubt about it. That was designed to increase our chances, and it did.”
Now the Yankees will try to nail down four more wins for a title to squeeze every ounce out of the trade before Soto hits the open market.
His price tag is only going up with another memorable October after starring as a 20-year-old in the Nationals championship run in 2019.
“I think he’s had a hell of a run,” Cashman said. “He’s enjoyed it. He’s performed. He’s felt like he’s always been here, the way he’s acclimated himself. I think all boxes checked in terms of enjoying his time and liking the franchise. But again, he’s earned the right to be a free agent. So all those type of discussions will happen in the [offseason].”
