‘Savage at-bats’: Judge, Soto powering revamped Yankees offense

The New York Yankees are 16-4 in their last 20 games and have gone over a month without losing a series. After a nightmare season last year where nothing seemed to break their way, the arrival of Juan Soto has ushered in a brand-new energy and aura around the pinstripes. Soto’s big two-run, go-ahead blast in the top of the ninth on Sunday perfectly encapsulated the Yankees’ season, thus far.

“That’s some savage at-bats right there,” manager Aaron Boone said while discussing Soto’s two home-run, three-RBI day in a 7-5 win over the San Francisco Giants.

With Giants closer Camilo Doval entering the game with a two-run lead in the top of the ninth, it appeared the Bronx Bombers would have a sour end to an otherwise positive West Coast road trip. Doval has been one of the best closers in baseball the last two seasons, earning an All-Star appearance last year and entering Sunday’s game with a 2.78 ERA and only one blown save on the season.

The Bronx Bombers put up a four-spot on Doval in the ninth and would not look back to complete the series sweep. This kind of resiliency and offensive firepower was largely MIA last year due to injuries and a lack of offensive production. A healthy Aaron Judge and the addition of Soto has added an extra dimension to this Yankees offense, making it one of the most feared groups in all of baseball.

“It takes every little thing to put up an inning like that against a closer of his caliber,” Soto told reporters postgame about the ninth-inning comeback.

“That’s what he does, we’ve been seeing it all year long,” Judge said while discussing Soto’s clutch performance. “When he comes up in big moments against one of the best closers in the game, I had a nice front-row seat for that one.”

In their last 15 games, Soto and Judge have combined for 17 home runs and 36 RBI. The impact of the pair cannot be overstated for a team that was 25th in the league last year in terms of RBI. The constant presence of two power bats has revolutionized the Yankees’ offense. Now ranking fourth in the league in RBI and having the most home runs of any team in MLB, the Yankees have put the bomb in the Bronx Bombers in 2024.

“We’re just having fun,” Soto said. “Every day we’re coming in, showing up, trying our best.”

“It all comes down to trust… trust the next guy is going to pick you up and don’t put all the weight on your shoulders to come up with a big hit,” Judge added. “When you got nine guys trusting each other… we all see it and it leads to a big inning.”

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