Juan Soto has been the most impactful player for the New York Yankees this season. When the front office of the Bronx Bombers first landed the Dominican superstar, the fans in New York could hardly control their excitement. Clearly, the addition of the four-time Silver Slugger winner was a big boost for the offense of the NY side. Last year, they failed to make the postseason and finished with an awful 82-80 record. Moreover, the Yankees had the second-worst batting average in the league behind the nine-time World Series champions, the Oakland Athletics. Then, there were a lot of injury issues that the Yankees had to deal with.
When key players like Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Rizzo, and others get on the Injured List in the same season, things are surely not going in the NY side’s favor. That’s what the fans are afraid of even this year. Very early in 2024, during spring training, ace pitcher Gerrit Cole, veteran infielder DJ LeMahieu, and captain Aaron Judge were on the IL. Judge had an abs injury that didn’t keep him out for too long. But DJ and Cole were on the 60-day Injured List. Lately, LeMahieu has returned, and Cole is recovering well. Soon, the ace will return to the lineup, too. But at present, the Yankees Faithful are afraid of Juan Soto’s fitness. On Friday, the Los Angeles Dodgers edged past the Soto-less Yankees to end their eight-game winning streak.
Dodgers Edge Past Yankees In Game 1
Juan Soto helped the Yankees win the series against the Minnesota Twins. The team enjoyed a clean sweep, and extended their winning streak to eight. But in Game 3 against the Twins, Juan Soto could not play the whole game. He had to leave the ballpark due to a forearm discomfort. Later, everyone had to wait for the imaging. It scared everyone in the Bronx and the team’s fans all over the world. But on Friday afternoon, Aaron Boone gave some good news, saying, “It was only forearm inflammation.” Also, the manager gave a hint that Soto might be able to play the series opener against the LA Dodgers.
However, that was not the case on Friday night. They had to play without the best hitter in baseball. But the fans saw an exciting game at the Yankee Stadium that went till the 11th inning. Finally, the visitors managed to edge past the host 2-1. The game went scoreless for the most part as it went till the extras. Then, the Dodgers crashed the party as they clinched the victory in their first visit to the Yankees ballpark since 2016. Teoscar Hernandez drilled a two-run double to the gap as Ian Hamilton threw in the 11th inning. Without Soto in the batting order, the Yankees lost at home in front of 48,048 attendance.
In The Absence Of Juan Soto, The Bronx Bombers Lost A Nail-Biting Game
There was a sellout and buzzing crowd at the Yankee Stadium to welcome the Dodgers after eight years. Clearly, the game was between the two favorites to win the “Big Dance.” Moreover, the nail-biting series opener felt like a playoff game, stretching to the extra inning. Anyhow, Juan Soto could not return to the batting order on Friday. As a result, the NY side could not keep up the eight-game winning streak.
But later, in the post-game interview, Aaron Judge said as per The New York Post’s Greg Joyce, “These are the games you would love to play. Just wish if the result was different.” Nevertheless, the Yankees captain added that it is a matchup between two great teams, just going back and forth. Moreover, he said, “Tonight, it was a fun one.”
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