Soto delivers in the clutch
HOUSTON — Juan Soto couldn’t help but laugh on Saturday night.
The superstar, fresh off his third game as a Yankee, had just provided the go-ahead run in a 5-3 win over the Astros by shooting a solo homer into the Crawford Boxes at Minute Maid Park. Having already contributed a game-saving throw on Opening Day and a three-hit night in Game 2, Soto took a second to bask in his success after a few days of being booed by fans of the Yankees’ nemesis.
“It’s fun,” a smiling Soto said of hitting in the Astros’ home.
The 25-year-old continued to enjoy himself on Sunday, collecting three singles in the series finale. The last, shot the other way off ex-padres teammate Josh Hader, drove in the go-ahead run in the ninth inning.
With Soto at the center of the action once again, the Yankees won, 4-3, and opened their season by sweeping their rivals over four games.
Before Soto’s latest heroics, the Yankees started the scoring in the second inning when a Jose Trevino bloop single plated Giancarlo Stanton, who had previously doubled. A two-bagger from Anthony Rizzo then set Jon Berti up for an RBI single in the fourth frame.
Berti, acquired from the Marlins the day before Opening Day, was a late addition to the lineup after Anthony Volpe was scratched with an upset stomach.
Aaron Judge, who has gotten off to a slow start this season, added a sac fly in the fifth.
The Astros first crossed the plate in the third inning when Jose Altuve hit a solo shot off Clarke Schmidt. Kyle Tucker later knocked the right-hander out of the game with an RBI double down the right-field line in the sixth.