SEATTLE — Juan Soto is only 25 years old, and he’s already homered in every major league ballpark.
The slugger accomplished that feat — and checked off a few other milestones — when he drilled a Bryan Woo fastball the other way in Seattle on Tuesday. Soto had previously gone hitless in four career games at T-Mobile Park — a fact he was aware of — but his 2-for-2 night helped the Yankees secure an 11-2 win over the Mariners.
The Bombers, now 88-63, can clinch a playoff berth with another win in Seattle on Wednesday.
“It’s gonna be great,” Soto said. “Definitely, our goal is to win the division. That’s what we want to do. We grinded, everybody in here. It’s gonna be a great feeling to clinch a playoff spot tomorrow, but we have 11 more games to go, and we’re going to focus on that and try to finish the season strong.”
How many of the 30 ballparks have you been to?
Guess what — Juan Soto has HOMERED in all of them! pic.twitter.com/XSA333GTjt
— MLB (@MLB) September 18, 2024
Soto’s two-run, fourth-inning blast also gave him 200 homers for his career and his first 40-homer campaign. His career high was 35 before this season.
However, Soto said that homering in every stadium is the milestone that stood out as he rounded the bases, as it became a goal after the career National Leaguer was traded to the Yankees over the offseason. He added that it was a nice bullet to add to his résumé with free agency approaching.
“It’s a great feeling for me,” Soto said. “It’s so many different ballparks, so many different dimensions. I just wanted to get all of them checked in.
“What a best way to go to free agency with all 30 ballparks checking my list.”
Soto is now tied with Frank Robinson for the seventh-most home runs before turning 26, which he will do on Oct. 25.
Only Jimmie Foxx (222), Eddie Mathews (222), Alex Rodriguez (216), Mel Ott (211), Mickey Mantle (207) and Albert Pujols (201) had more dingers before turning 26.
“You’re always just like, ‘Man, this guy’s just 25. Maybe he’s just scratching the surface of who he is,’” Aaron Boone said, offering a scary thought for opposing pitchers. “So in a lot of ways, he’s not necessarily even entered his prime. Maybe he’s entering it now.”
Added Aaron Judge: “I feel like he just got into this game. But what a career he’s having, what a year he’s having, and definitely looking forward to more of that the rest of this year and beyond.”
Judge found himself attached to Soto’s big night, as the two became the third pair of Yankees teammates to each hit 40 or more homers in the same season.
They joined Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle, who did it in 1961, and Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth, who did it in 1927, 1930 and 1931.
“It’s an honor,” said Judge, who leads the majors with 53 homers. “It’s tough to really put into words. Those are baseball legends you’re talking about, so to get an opportunity to share something like that with Soto, who’s such a special player in his own right, it’s definitely something that we enjoy.”
Soto’s longball was part of an offensive outburst against Woo, who had previously totaled zero runs, four hits and 12 strikeouts over 11.1 innings in his first two career starts against the Yankees.
The M’s righty had been so dominant against the Bombers that Boone called his heater “one of the best fastballs we’re going to see at any point in the year” before Tuesday’s game.
But the Yankees solved Woo quickly, as Judge hit a two-run double in the first inning before adding a two-run single in the second. The American League MVP frontrunner now has 136 RBI this season.
Jasson Domínguez added his first major league homer of the year in the fifth frame. That ended Woo’s night after seven earned runs.
He entered the game with a 2.38 ERA.
A bases loaded double from Austin Wells gave the Yankees three more runs in the sixth. Meanwhile, Luis Gil limited the Mariners to one run, a Jorge Polanco homer, over five erratic innings.
Luke Raley added an eighth-inning homer off Marcus Stroman, who recorded a three-inning save in his first relief appearance for the Yankees after getting booted from the rotation. The Yankees got the run back on an Oswaldo Cabrera single in the ninth.
With Nestor Cortes scheduled to pitch on Wednesday, the Yankees can lock up a playoff spot. They plan on celebrating the occasion after failing to make the postseason last year.
Another tough righty will try to delay that party, as Bryce Miller is set to start for the Mariners.
“Hopefully we can go out and get it done and cross that first goal,” Boone said. “But it hasn’t been done yet. We just gotta keep going.”
