CARRYING THE FLAG
For some Dominican Yankee fans, ‘It’s like the Bronx got their hero’ when Soto put on pinstripes
With the Bleacher Creatures roaring his name on Friday, Juan Soto turned around, tipped his cap, raised both arms and bowed before his new fans in right field.
The outfielder, playing in his first home opener with the Yankees, then tapped his glove over the NY insignia and pinstripes that now cover his heart as he stared into the crowd. Despite going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in a 3-0 loss to the Blue Jays, Soto enjoyed numerous interactions with fans throughout the game.
As he did, he noticed a few Dominican flags flying around Yankee Stadium.
“It means a lot,” the Santo Domingo native said. “We all know where we’re coming from. Getting to see them up here is just great. It’s a great feeling.”
Ronny Guerrero was among those carrying a flag. He proudly waved it from the second deck in right, where the Bronx native of Dominican descent had a perched view of Soto.
“We have a large, massive population of Dominicans around here, especially the neighborhoods [around the stadium],” Guerrero told The Daily News. “So we just came in to show him love and show him that New York is the place for him to be.”
As Guerrero alluded to, the Bronx serves as the epicenter of New York City’s vibrant Dominican population. By 2020, 47% of the city’s Dominicans lived in the borough, according to The Graduate Center of The City University of New York’s Center for Latin American, Caribbean and Latino Studies.
However, the Yankees have lacked a true Dominican-born superstar ever since Robinson Canó bolted for Seattle after the 2013 season. Others, like Luis Severino and Gary Sánchez, once seemed destined to assume that mantle, but their stars dimmed due to injuries and poor performances.
“Those are all guys I rooted for,” Lester Carrasco, a Brooklynite wearing his Dominican flag, told The News. “Definitely always wanted to see those guys do good. But since Canó, we really haven’t had a Dominican superstar. It’s gonna bring a different energy to the stadium. You guys are gonna feel it.”
Soto has been anticipating that energy. Ever since being acquired from the Padres in December, he has repeatedly talked about getting the chance to play in an area rich with his home country’s culture.
“I expect the flags, but they
always surprise me with something else,” Soto said, adding that the vocal support he received throughout the entire game took him by surprise.
Added Aaron Boone: “The Dominican population in the Bronx and in New York, it feels like a match made in heaven. But we just got home. Let’s evaluate the relationship down the line a little bit, but I can’t imagine him not being loved with the way he goes about things and the kind of player he is.”
While Boone thinks it’s too soon to say Soto already has a bond with the Yankees faithful, some Dominican fans of the team were cheering for the No. 2 hitter long before he ever donned the pinstripes.
“I was very excited,” Carrasco said of the trade. “I always wanted Soto on the Yankees, even before he was on the Padres. Since 2019,
I’ve been coming to watch him. I really love his talent, and he was a perfect fit for the Yankees in my opinion.”
A lifelong Yankees diehard, Carrasco took his 15-year-old nephew to Friday’s contest so that they could share the experience of Soto’s first home game at Yankee Stadium.
Carrasco began paying close attention to Soto after watching the slugger’s Nationals beat the Astros in the 2019 World Series. Still too young to drink at the time, Soto crushed three homers in that Fall Classic.
Two of those longballs came off future teammate Gerrit Cole. Justin Verlander served up the other.
“He went deep against both of them,” Carrasco said. “So how can you not like somebody like that?”
All Yankees fans will come to appreciate Soto’s immense talent in due time, but some of Dominican backgrounds see more than just a game-changing player.
“It just felt like he’s home,” Guerrero, wearing a Soto Yankees jersey, said of his own reaction to the trade. “This is his home. It’s not exactly the Dominican Republic, but he knows there’s a lot of similarities to the people from the DR and whatnot.
“I was just so happy when he came here, honestly. It’s like the Bronx got their hero. Like Aaron Judge is the Yankees’ hero. But for us Bronx Dominicans, Juan Soto’s our guy.”
When told of the “hero” comment, Soto chuckled.
“It’s cool,” he told The News. “It’s great to hear that. First day in the Bronx and they start feeling like that? It’s a pleasure for me.”
It remains to be seen how long Soto will remain a Yankee, as he is an impending free agent. A Scott Boras client, he’s all but guaranteed to test the open market, where the 25-year-old could fetch a $500 million deal.
Some, like Guerrero, are hoping that the 2024 season shows Soto that the city is the place to be.
The fan, forming a sales pitch of sorts, said that “life in New York City in your 20s is second to none.” Guerrero also said Soto could expect free things for life — he’s old enough to drink now — if he helps the Yankees win their first World Series since 2009.
“You sign with the Yankees — yeah, you played for the Nationals and Padres — but people are gonna remember you for playing here in New York City,” Guerrero said. “And if you bring a championship, you’ll forever be loved. Forever.”
And then there’s the familiarity that the Bronx’s Dominican population provides. Guerrero, planning to attend more Yankees games than usual this season, hopes that’s a true selling point when Soto settles on a long-term deal.
“I’ve been seeing Dominican flags since I got here,” Guerrero said, “so I’m hoping he notices that this is the place for him to be for the rest of his career.”