NEW YORK — Long after the first-inning roll call from Yankee Stadium’s right-field bleachers has ended, Juan Soto still hears the chants throughout games. “Juaaaan So-to!” “Juaaaaan So-to!” “Juaaaan So-to!” Between pitches, Soto turns to the crowd, flashes the universal “I love you” sign and embraces himself to acknowledge the love. Advertisement Not even Aaron Judge , amid another historic season, receives this level of support while standing in center field.
During spring training, Judge was asked whether he would assist the New York Yankees in recruiting Soto, a free agent at season’s end, to remain in pinstripes for his entire career. He said yes, adding, “But I think the fans are going to show up and do a lot of convincing, too.” “It’s always great to see the crowd go crazy,” Soto said of Yankees fans.
“I feel like they are so into the game and everything that it just makes you feel like they are part of this. It’s really exciting to see them going crazy like that every day, every game and every evening. It doesn’t matter if we’re winning or losing.
They’re right there every single time. It’s really cool. I feel like they’ve been supporting me since day one.
I’m really happy about that.” Soto enjoys gazing at Yankee Stadium’s crowd and spotting Dominican Republic flags. He likened the energy in the Bronx to that of a World Baseball Classic game.
When he was traded to New York in December, he anticipated the Yankees woul.