Juan Soto making a significant defensive play in his Yankees debut on Opening Day was not entirely surprising given his ability to rise to big moments. However, few would have predicted that that play would come in the form of a game-saving outfield assist.
That is precisely what occurred on Thursday afternoon against the Houston Astros. In the bottom of the 9th inning with the Yankees leading 5-4, Soto delivered a crucial outfield assist to prevent the tying run from scoring.
With one out and runners on first and second, Kyle Tucker hit a single to right field. Soto charged the ball cleanly and fired a perfect one-hop throw home. Catcher Jose Trevino caught it and applied a difficult tag on the runner trying to score from second base.
The play was confirmed after video review and kept the Yankees ahead, allowing Clay Holmes to close out the 5-4 victory in the next at-bat. According to Aaron Judge, the outfielders had discussed making a play at the plate in that situation right before the inning started.
While the defensive gem stood out, Soto also showed his offensive prowess in the debut. He drew an 8-pitch walk in his first plate appearance, singled home a run against a tough lefty in Framber Valdez, and worked another walk later on.
However, the throw home was Soto’s standout moment and one Yankees manager Aaron Boone praised, citing Soto’s work ethic and desire to impact the game on defense and the bases as well as hitting.
“He takes a lot of pride in his defense. He wants to be great on defense. He wants to be really good on the bases. And he made a big-time winning play today on defense.”
The defense has been viewed as a weakness for Soto recently, so the assist provided an early positive signal that his focus this spring on adjusting to right field is paying off.
