The first five games of the regular season for the New York Yankees were headlined by Juan Soto and his contributions. The 25-year-old Hall of Fame-level player is in the final year of arbitration and looking to make a significant impact to maximize his payday.
Over the first seven games of the regular season, Soto is hitting .345/.441/.483, including one homer, four RBIs, a 14.7% walk rate, and an 11.8% strikeout rate. He hosts a 182 wRC+, and while his numbers have dropped the last few games, having only picked up one hit in his last three contests, his counterpart has picked up the slack.
While Soto was red hot, 31-year-old superstar Aaron Judge was ice cold. Previous to Wednesday’s win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, Judge had only tallied three hits over the first six games of the season, but he made a significant impact in the victory, smashing a two-run homer and an RBI double late in the game.
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The Yankees Needed Their Captain to Step Up
After falling to a 1–0 deficit in the second inning, Judge did exactly what the Yankees hoped: drove Soto in with a long ball, giving them a slight lead before Ketel Marte homer to left in the fifth to tie things up. It wasn’t until the top of the 11th that Judge came alive once again, doubling to center field and driving in Gleyber Torres, giving the Yankees a two-run lead to secure the win.
“It was a fun, exciting way to end the road trip,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
It is safe to say that once Judge and Soto are hitting simultaneously, the Yankees’ offense will transform and present an intimidating group. That is not to mention Anthony Rizzo, Giancarlo Stanton, and Alex Verdugo have all been rather quiet up in the air. Verdugo finally got on the board in the 10th against Arizona, homering to right field and giving the Yankees a slight lead.
On the season, Judge is hitting .179/.273/.357, including a 24.2% strikeout rate and 12.1% walk rate. Expect those numbers to skyrocket over the next few weeks as he starts to see the ball a bit more efficiently and find his groove. The team sits 6-1 on the season, but a much needed off day on Thursday will provide rest ahead of the home opener against the Blue Jays on Friday.