Juan Soto, an outfielder for the New York Yankees, went yard twice as the team defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 9-1 on Monday at Yankee Stadium. In addition to increasing the Yankees’ advantage to 6-1, the first home run was noteworthy for another reason.
Fans and even Yankees play-by-play announcer Michael Kay noticed that Soto trotted around the bases unusually slowly—37 seconds, to be exact. For the record, the slowest home run trot in the majors this year has averaged less than thirty seconds.
What then goes wrong?
When questioned about his leisurely trip around the bases following the game, Soto responded with a witty statement that was probably meant as a reaction to Jose Siri of the Rays’ leisurely home run trot earlier in the contest.
“I don’t know what [Jose Siri] was doing, actually,” Soto replied. “I’m just not sure. Personally, I just think it’s hot outside. A difficult day. I made an effort to go gentle and preserve the hammies.”
Siri, who hit a single home run in the top of the fifth inning, appeared to annoy the Yankees bench, especially slugger Aaron Judge, by taking a slow stroll around the bases following his big homer.
The question of whether Siri’s and the Rays’ home run celebrations irritate Soto was then posed.
Soto remarked, “It’s just part of the game.” “I have no idea what they are doing. As previously mentioned, I have no idea what’s back there. I am aware that on this side, we consistently show up, play hard, and show respect for both our teammates and the opposing teams.”
This subconscious warfare between Soto and Siri was tame, especially in light of Yankee relations with the Rays recently. But be clear about it. The two clubs genuinely detest one another.
Sadly for baseball fans, these clubs won’t cross paths again until 2025, unless Tampa Bay makes a late-season push in the postseason.
Leave a Reply