CHICAGO – With the count full and the bases empty, Juan Soto swung with intent when White Sox reliever Fraser Ellard tried to dot a four-seam fastball on the upper, inside corner in the seventh inning of Tuesday’s game.
Soto, having already taken a huge hack in the at-bat, connected on the pitch. Right away, he knew that he had cemented the first three-homer game of his career.
As the ball traveled 406 feet to right, Soto admired his work. A fitting bat toss and a stare toward the Yankees’ dugout followed, and Soto waved his arms as he jogged his way around first.
As he crossed home plate, Soto pointed to the heavens before enjoying an energized handshake with Aaron Judge.
JUAN SOTO’S FIRST CAREER 3-HOME RUN GAME! 😤 pic.twitter.com/x6Uepb9Qbm
— MLB (@MLB) August 14, 2024
Soto’s pop surge single-handedly powered the Yankees’ offense in a 4-1 win, a needed rebound after they were blown out by one of the worst teams to ever exist on Monday.
While Soto pulled his final home run, the portside swinger showed off his opposite field strength by sending two balls over the left field fence at Guaranteed Rate Field earlier in the night. Those dingers came off White Sox starter Jonathan Cannon.
The first, a two-run homer in the third, landed in Chicago’s bullpen. The second, a solo shot, traveled 416 feet at 110.4 mph.
While three-homer games are not an everyday occurrence, the Yankees have benefited from an inordinate amount over the last two years. Ben Rice, a rookie, had a trifecta on July 6, and Judge accomplished the feat twice in 2023.
Tuesday marked the 23rd multi-homer game of Soto’s career and his sixth this season. His last came on Sunday against the Rangers at Yankee Stadium.
The 25-year-old superstar now has 33 home runs with more than a month and a half left in the regular season. An impending free agent, Soto’s career-high is 35.
While Soto took care of the scoring, Nestor Cortes kept the White Sox off the board after they dropped a dozen runs on Luis Gil and the Yankees’ bullpen the night before.
With a four-pitch mix working to his advantage, Cortes held Chicago scoreless for seven innings. The lefty permitted just three hits while walking none and striking out nine, tying his season-high.
Like the Yankees, Cortes came into Tuesday’s game looking for a rebound after he allowed six earned runs over 4.2 innings in his last start on August 8. He also had 9.26 ERA over his previous five outings.
With Cortes providing some needed length, Mark Leiter Jr. allowed a run on a single from Luis Robert Jr. in the eighth. However, Tommy Kahnle stopped the bleeding. He was then bailed out by Jake Cousins, who also had to navigate traffic in the ninth with Clay Holmes unavailable.
With the series now tied, the Yankees will look to leave Chicago with a win on Wednesday. Another loss against a team that could go down as one of the worst of all-time would be nothing short of disappointing with the Yankees and Orioles locked in a tight divisional race.
The Yankees had yet to solidify their Wednesday pitching plans at the time of publication. Right-hander Davis Martin will start for the White Sox.
