Generational star Juan Soto stepped into the Yankee Stadium as a Yankees OF last week and witnessed the most surreal moment of his career. He was greeted with loud cheers that sent chills down the whole city of the Bronx. However, Soto didn’t encounter the best time on the plate.
New York Yankees went down 3-0 in the home opener against Toronto Blue Jays. Juan Soto tried his best to return the love of the fans with some noteworthy performances. But he couldn’t prevail due to dubious umpiring standards. Soto called out the frustration and was visibly emotional about the failure on opening day.
Juan Soto Had A Hard Time Dealing With Strike Calls On Yankees Debut!
The New York Yankees played their home opener against the Blue Jays in Yankee Stadium amid loud cheers and anticipation. Juan Soto particularly grabbed highlights owing to his generational star status. The excited crowd received him well and cheered for him throughout the game. However, the slugger couldn’t necessarily return the favor. He went hitless in four at-bats, with his patience running out in the eighth inning. Soto, desperate to get going on the player, was struck out on a 2-0 pitch that vividly landed outside the strike zone. However, despite pleading his case to plate umpire Edwin Jimenez, the call was upheld, and an upset Soto threw his helmet onto the dirt in frustration.
Recalling the moment of agony, Juan Soto said it’s been hard for him to deal with dubious umpiring calls. While his frustration could vary depending on where he is at a particular at-bat, on Friday, he had a near meltdown on Friday. “Tough moments, and it depends where you are in the at-bat, but definitely, it’s really hard on me,” said Soto. Not only that, the generational star claimed since the introduction of the pitch clock, but he has also had trouble keeping up with the fast-paced game. The lack of time to think in between pitches has been tough to deal with. Regardless, Soto admitted that one has to keep up with the evolving league dynamics and train enough to keep going at-bat after at-bat without dwelling on the past. “At the end of the day, we gotta forget about it and just keep grinding, keep going through the at-bat,” he added.
Umpiring Standards Fall To New Low On Yanks Home Series Finale!
The unfair treatment that started with Juan Soto in the home opener ended with Gleyber Torres in the home series finale. Controversial umpire Angel Hernandez received boos when he called a strike on Torres in the bottom of the first innings. Torres, on a 3-2 count, took a step back from the plate, thinking the pitcher had aborted his pitch.
However, the Jays pitcher ended up throwing a pitch, and Torres was called struck out. That being said, all hell broke loose when the pitch appeared to be out of the strike zone, leading to a large-scale argument. Yankees manager Aaron Boone argued Torres’s case but earned no respite as the strike call was upheld.
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