Notes and quotes on Juan Soto’s postseason success and more…
By the time you read this Juan Soto and the New York Yankees might be done in the 2024 World Series, but after Game 4 Tuesday night, which NY won to stay alive (down, 3-1), he had reached base in all 11 WS games he’d played in during his career, seven back in 2019 and four this year, which ESPN’s Buster Olney noted, is a rare feat:
From @EliasSports: Juan Soto has reached base safely in all 10 World Series games he has played in (seven in 2019, three this year). The last players to reach safely in their first 11 World Series games were David Ortiz (14, 2004 to 2013) and Allen Craig (11, 2011 to 2013).
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) October 29, 2024
In the Yankees’ Game Notes for Game 4, the club noted Soto started the night at 23-straight postseason games overall in which he’d reached base:
“Juan Soto owns a 23-game postseason on-base streak (since 2022 Wild Card Series Game 2 with San Diego)…his current on-base streak is tied for the eighth-longest streak in the postseason in Major League history, trailing only Miguel Cabrera’s 31-game steak from 2011-13, Chase Utley’s 27-game streak from 2007-09, Jose Altuve’s 25-game streak from 2017-19, Pablo Sandoval’s 25-game streak from 2012-14, Boog Powell’s 25-game streak from 1966-71, Carlos Beltrán’s 24-game streak from 2004-12 and Carlos Ruiz’s 24-game streak from 2008-10… [Soto] is batting .294/.396/.553 (25-for-85) with 16 R, 4 doubles, 6 HR, 16 RBI[s], 14 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SB and 1 SF over that span.”
A walk in his first plate appearance on Tuesday made it a 24-game on-base streak:
Juan Soto has reached base safely in 24 straight postseason games dating to 2022
Only longer on-base streaks in PS history:
2011-13 Miguel Cabrera: 31
2007-09 Chase Utley: 27
2017-19 Jose Altuve: 25
2012-14 Pablo Sandoval: 25
1966-71 Boog Powell: 25— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 30, 2024
[ed. note – “He extended it to 25 with a walk the first time up on Wednesday, and he scored on an Aaron Judge HR.”]
Soto, of course, was part of the 2019 D.C. crew which brought a World Series title to the nation’s capital as a 20-year-old in his second season in the majors.
Now, 26, and likely headed for a mega-deal as a free agent this winter, Soto has talked this fall about his experience with the Yankees, and how it compares to his first run to the World Series championship and his experience in the postseason with San Diego, after he was traded to the Padres in 2022.
Soto was asked what he took from the previous playoff experiences.
“I would say having a short memory would be really good in these situations. Whatever is in the past is in the past,” he said.
“Forget about it, try to move forward. Have that energy every day. That’s going to be one of the factors that are going to help you to go all the way. And never give up. Just come every day.
Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images
“It doesn’t matter what happens. It doesn’t matter the score of the game or anything.
“Anything can change in any moment.
“I would say that’s one of the biggest things, the energy that we brought every day on that field and how positive we are to win a game. It’s going to be the most important thing.”
Having won a World Series when he was so young, what did Soto take away from the 2019 run? What stayed with him?
“How fun that race was is one of the things that sticks with me. It’s one of the things that you want to keep with you and you want to do it again and again and again. For me, I learned a lot from it,” Soto said.
“I [had] a lot of veteran players with me when I won it. I learned a lot of things from those guys.
“Now I’m trying to bring that to the team I’m playing and trying to help the whole team to win a championship because I think it’s a great experience.
“It’s one of the biggest things in the big leagues, when you win a championship. For the city, for your family, for everybody.
“I think it’s one of the biggest things you can ever do for your team and your career.”
One of the other lessons he learned in 2019, Soto said, is that you can have stars doing all they can to help a team, but it takes an entire roster to win it all.
“First of all, I would say in 2019 as a team, we always came through, definitely our big stars had big moments, as we all expected,” he said. “But at the end of the day, it’s all about the whole team. We can’t lean on one player that he’s going to do everything for us to take us all the way. We’ve got to do it as a team.
Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images
“At the end of the day, when you look at that run, that race, every single guy in that lineup and in their starting rotation, bullpen and everything, they had their moment.
“They had their moment where they had to show up for the team, and they did. That’s how we make it all the way.
“I feel like, yeah, you’re going to have star players that you want them to perform, but at the end of the day, it’s all about the team. And every single guy in that clubhouse, they have to have their moment to help the team to go all the way.”
Wow, what a great example he would be for a young, (re)building ballclub in need of a big bat and a mentor for their up-and-coming stars…
[ed. note – “Yes, we wrote a whole post about Soto just to tease the fact he could, you know, sign back in D.C. as a free agent (not holding our breath) and play alongside all the players the Nationals acquired for him from San Diego, and the rest of their young players they’ve acquired and assembled since kicking of the reboot/build in 2021.”]