NEW YORK — The Yankees hope to keep Juan Soto in pinstripes for a long time. And with shows like his favorite on Saturday afternoons, it’s not hard to see why.
Soto had his first multihomer performance with the Yankees in a minor slump, clearing the fences in the first and fifth innings and going 4-for-4 as New York won its sixth straight game, 6-1. Sox at Yankee Stadium.
Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Trevino also homered to pace the Bombers’ offense in support of right-hander Luis Gil, who struck out a game-high 14 in six innings.
Gill’s 14 strikeouts set a Yankees rookie record, surpassing the 13 mark set by Orlando Hernandez in 1998. Coincidentally, “El Duke” threw the first pitch of Saturday’s ceremony in the Bronx.
Both of Soto’s homers came off Chicago starter Brad Keller. Soto’s bat has been cold over the previous eight games, with just four hits to show for 31 at-bats (.129), but manager Aaron Boone said he saw encouraging signs from the 25-year-old star before Saturday’s game.
“There’s consistency to what he does and confidence in what he does,” Boone said. “He has a good understanding of himself and hitting. He knows the things he wants to do.
Soto joins Aaron Judge (12) and Stanton (11) as Yankees with double-digit home run totals. New York is the only team in the majors to have three players with 10 or more homers in 2024.
Yankees general partner Hal Steinbrenner said this week he is open to discussing a potential extension with Soto, who was acquired from the Padres in December and is eligible for free agency after the season.
I think we want to see him here for the rest of his career. I don’t think there’s any doubt about that,” Steinbrenner told the YES Network.
During the club’s series opener against the Twins earlier this week, Soto said the door is always open to discussing a new contract and would leave all negotiations up to agent Scott Boras.
“They know the phone number and everything. They know where to call,” Soto said. “For me here, my focus is on playing baseball. My thing is try to help the team win.”