"I think it’s way too early" - Juan Soto plays down 'MVP' chants from Yankees fans after clutch home run against Rays

It's fair to say that the New York Yankees have found themselves a new hero in superstar slugger Juan Soto. Yankees faithful greeted their new star with 'MVP' chants during the series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium on Friday.

Soto continued his remarkable start to the Yankees career after dispatching a clutch three-run home run in the seventh inning to propel the Bronx Bombers to an impressive come-from-behind victory.

The Yankees fans showed their love for the former San Diego Padres star as 'MVP' chants reverberated around the ballpark. While Soto appreciated the gesture during the game, he was quick to play it down after his team's victory.

“I think it’s way too early,” Soto said with a laugh. “But it feels great. They just support me every day, day in and day out. It just feels amazing.”

Expand Tweet

Juan Soto's hit receives wild celebrations from his Yankees teammates

The 25-year-old Dominican is leading the Yankees offense despite the presence of veteran sluggers like Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. Juan Soto has five home runs to his name along with 20 RBIs and 18 walks in 20 games this season.

Soto's seventh-inning blast handed a 5-1 lead to the Yankees and the three-time All-Star let out an emotional roar to celebrate his hit. Aaron Judge greeted his new team-mates monster hit with a pumped reaction as several Yankees players cheered from the dugout.

Expand Tweet

“It’s just great,” Soto said of the team’s reaction. “Like I said before, we feel like family right now. We really stick together, and they’re really enjoying my success as much as theirs.”

While Yankees skipper Aaron Boone acknowledged Juan Soto's powerful hit, he admitted that he wasn't paying attention to the player's celebration and was fixated on locating the ball in the crowd.

“I actually didn’t see that,” Aaron Boone said of Soto’s celebration after the game. “I was admiring where that ball was going. Of the five homers, I think that’s the first one where he’s really, really stepped on [one], like, ‘Where is this going to land?’ I was paying attention to that, so I didn’t see all of that.”

Boone's team will face the Rays in the second game of the series on Saturday and will be hoping to clinch the series.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

Know More

Edited by Tejas Rathi