Yankees Get an Up-close Look at Juan Soto’s Masterclass in ‘Postseason Clutch Hitting’

As far as anyone knows, there isn’t a major in baseball psychology, but if there were, the program could be headed by Juan Soto.

Soto’s demeanor in his final at-bat of the ALCS, which ended with his dramatic and epic three-run homer to send the Yankees back to the World Series for the first time since 2009, was a master class in terms of the way he responded to every shot. responded. of the previous six pitches.

Everything he did during the batting exuded the aura of embracing the concept of ‘pressure is a privilege’. There were two and the opportunity was created for him when the Yankees got past Emmanuel Clase and Luke Weaver extended things to the 10th.

If you watch the at-bat over and over again, chances are most Yankees fans have watched it at least five times by now, though you’ll probably see even more how much Soto enjoys the thrill of pitchers trying to challenge him.

The at-bat against Hunter Gaddis opened with a slider and Soto took a quick look after taking ball one, prompting TBS analyst Jeff Francouer to speculate whether he would put him in front of Aaron Judge to load the bases. The second pitch was a called strike that was likely a strike because the umpire’s scorecards said Alan Porter was 98 percent accurate. Still, Soto wanted to be called.

The third pitch was a foul ball, described as a violent swing by Brian Anderson. Soto barely got a piece of the ball, but he glanced at Gaddis as if to say, “I know what’s going on here.”

Pitch number four was a changeup that broke in and was caused by an error to third base. He nodded his head four out of five times, prompting Anderson to say Soto was stalking Gaddis, Ron Darling to say “he loves the competition” and Francouer to recall his at-bats against Justin Verlander in the 2019 World Series.

The fifth pitch was a high changeup near the shoulders that was caused by an error to first base. Three more nods and a practice swing with his right arm followed before two more nods of the head as he stepped back into the batter’s box. As Soto put on his batting gloves, Darling thought, “How do you get a guy out who seemingly has no holes?”

On the sixth pitch, Gaddis returned to the slider, slightly below the letters, and Soto cut it to the third-base side. He glanced back at Gaddis, nodded twice more, shook his head and said something to himself that possibly indicated he figured out the right-hander. The slider was a pitch that Soto hit .169 against during the regular season after hitting .323 against in 2023, .138 against in 2022, .253 against in 2021, .435 against in 2020, .191 against in 2019 and .238 against in his rookie season.

Then came proof that Soto had it all figured out. Two minutes and 53 seconds into the at bat, Soto swung at a fastball in a similar location to the previous pitch. He saw the ball go out and wanted to pass it over the center field fence like he was Carlton Fisk in the 1975 World Series, without the foul pole getting in the way.

And then pandemonium, just like when Aaron Boone won the pennant for the Yankees in 2003 or Chris Chambliss in 1976. Except there were three outs to be had and once the Yankees finished it off, the appreciation for Soto’s attitude and the result in his biggest strike to date was in full effect.

“Incredible, and just such an ability to seize the moment. Every big moment he was in the middle of, he delivered for us over and over again,” Boone said. “Obviously he’s had a great season statistically, but in the most important moments that’s what he does and it shouldn’t be taken for granted.”

While Giancarlo Stanton’s four home runs won the ALCS award, the case could have been made for Soto. Soto hit .368 with three home runs in the series and had a similar performance to Alex Rodgriguez who hit .423 in the 2009 LCS or Bernie Williams who hit .435 in the 2000 LCS, .381 in the 1998 LCS or .474 in the 1996 LCS.

“He loves baseball,” Boone said. “That’s usually a common trait of great players. Not everyone loves it like Juan Soto or like a lot of our guys do.”

Soto does something similar in several at-bats in the regular season if you watch closely, but on the national stage of a game to determine if the Yankees return to the World Series, his behavior and mannerisms were a masterclass in baseball psychology, resulting in one of the dramatic swings in recent Yankee history and what everyone with the team was hoping for when he was acquired from the San Diego Padres to help reverse the course of the 82-80 nightmare.

“In the biggest moment when our season is on the line, there aren’t many people you would rather have,” shortstop Anthony Volpe told reporters. “He comes through every time.”

And now Soto will have more opportunities to experience awe-inspiring moments in his second World Series and the Yankees’ first in 2009, when Soto was an 11-year-old in the Dominican Republic, whose birthday occurred the last time the Yankees won the AL- captured the pennant by defeating the angels.