Not long after Juan Soto hit his 37th home run of the season on Sunday, Yankees fans made it clear they want to see many, many more.
Chants urging the Yankees to re-sign Soto, an impending free agent poised for a historic contract, bellowed from the bleachers behind right field, not far from where the superstar was standing on defense in the top of the eighth inning.
Soto, 25, laughed and appeared to acknowledge the Yankee Stadium crowd.
Asked afterward what he made of the chants, Soto replied with a laugh, “I don’t know. They have to talk to [Brian] Cashman.”
Cashman traded for Soto in December, sending a five-player package headlined by starter Michael King and pitching prospect Drew Thorpe to the Padres.
Soto’s solo home run in the seventh inning of the Yankees’ 10-3 win over the Rockies kicked off a back-to-back-to-back barrage in which Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton also homered.
“It’s obviously a tribute to somebody that came here with a lot of fanfare and a lot of expectations and has been every bit and then some as advertised,” manager Aaron Boone said of the Soto chants. “Certainly, the fan base has embraced him and he’s embraced them right back, so pretty cool.”
Soto’s 37 home runs are already a career high with 31 games left on the schedule. His 108 walks are the most among MLB hitters, while his 95 RBI and 1.035 OPS also rank among the league leaders.
Judge, whose 51 home runs lead the majors, has spoken about the value of hitting behind Soto, who is renowned for making pitchers work.
“The fans are excited,” Judge said of Soto. “They’ve got every right to be. He’s an incredible player, has done a lot for us this year, and I think they definitely want to see a lot more of that to come, but it’s going to be his decision in the end, in what’s best for him and his family.”
Asked if he plans to advocate for Soto to stay long-term, Judge said he would “at the end of the year.
“When it’s all said and done and the season ends when it ends, I’ll try to spend some time with him,” Judge said.
