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The New York Yankees registered a narrow victory over the Houston Astros in their Opening Day game after a terrific surge by their hitters in the second half of the game.
It was their star offseason arrival Juan Soto who contributed handsomely to his team's comeback 5-4 victory against the Astros. Apart from his hitting contribution, Soto's defensive effort near the end of the game garnered widespread praise.
Yankees captain Aaron Judge heralded his teammate after his memorable debut in pinstripes.
“That was a Yankee classic — Juan’s debut,” Aaron Judge said. “It speaks volumes about the type of player he is and the type of presence he has.”
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Soto's first MLB outing in pinstripes suffered a disappointing start after the Astros took a comfortable early lead in the game. However, the former San Diego Padres star took it upon himself to turn things around for his team.
He drove a RBI single in the top of the fifth inning to register his first hit for the Yankees. His single was followed by Oswaldo Cabrera and Gleyber Torres contributing to a three-run rally, cutting down the deficit to 4-3 after the fifth inning.
Cabrera struck his first home run for the season in the next inning to draw his team level with the Astros and Alex Verdugo gave the Yankees a one-run lead in the seventh inning.
Juan Soto's defensive play steals the show in New York Yankees' comeback victory
While his single sparked a comeback in his team's Opening Day game, Soto's clutch defensive play with the game on the line highlighted his aspirations of contributing to the team's success in any way possible.
The three-time All-Star delivered a bullet throw to catcher Jose Trevino to nail Mauricio Dubon at home plate in the bottom of the ninth inning.
“When I caught the ball, I couldn’t see him in my window, so I knew I had [expletive] time,” Soto said later.
Clay Holmes did the rest for the Bronx Bombers as he helped the team secure an impressive 5-4 victory, their biggest Opening Day comeback victory since 1950.
