Juan Soto hits walk-off single for Yankees over Red Sox

NEW YORK — When Juan Soto reflects upon his first walk-off hit in Yankees pinstripes, he might not recall the scorching grounder he sliced into the outfield grass, nor that the two clubs had combined to go hitless in 16 attempts with runners in scoring position to that point.

No, what Soto figures to recall most is the celebration that followed, as the Yankees savored their second extra-inning victory in as many nights. Soto’s hard knock off Josh Winckowski delivered that outcome, lifting the Bombers to a 2-1 victory over the Red Sox on Thursday evening at Yankee Stadium.

“So many things; the crowd, my teammates and everybody,” Soto said, with a laugh. “Those guys were running hard at me. That’s one of the biggest things I’m going to remember. Wellsie [Austin Wells] was coming in and I just didn’t know where to go. It was definitely a fun way to finish the game.”

Soto’s deciding hit came after the Yanks outlasted the Royals in a Wednesday night thriller, tilted by Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s first career walk-off hit. Soto, who hit a dramatic homer earlier in that game, played hero to open this four-game series by chasing pinch-runner Jon Berti home with a single.

Aaron Judge and Anthony Volpe doused Soto with an icy bath of orange Gatorade after the knock; Soto’s only previous career walk-off came on April 6, 2021, in the Nationals’ season opener against the Braves.

“We’re out there trying our best,” Soto said. “We never give up. We keep going. We keep our heads up and try to finish the game.”

The Yankees had not recorded walk-off wins in back-to-back games since May 8-9, 2021 vs. Washington. Their last consecutive walk-off extra-inning wins came on Sept. 21-22, 2012, vs. Oakland.

While the last two nights have provided encouraging signs that Soto is shaking off a mini-cold spell, the more significant development may have come with a confidence boost for beleaguered closer Clay Holmes, who picked up the victory after recording two outs in the 10th.

Holmes heard a mixed reception as he relieved Tommy Kahnle in that frame, but the crowd applauded — and exhaled — as the right-hander induced a groundout and flyout that kept the game tied. Though the Yankees are exploring their late-inning options, it remains possible that Holmes could return to the closer’s role by the playoffs.

“We’ve got some special guys in this clubhouse,” Holmes said. “I enjoy competing with them and being on the field with them. Really, when I’m on the field, I want to do my best for those guys.”

Showcasing what could be one of their potential playoff lineups, the Yankees got off to a quick start as Gleyber Torres slugged his third leadoff homer of the season, but they were otherwise held in check by Boston right-hander Cooper Criswell and a procession of relievers.

Criswell scattered just four hits over 5 1/3 innings, and the Yanks were twice turned aside with the bases loaded — both times with Volpe at the plate, as the shortstop flied out to end the fourth and sixth innings.

“We haven’t had a lot of offense the last few nights, but we’re doing enough,” manager Aaron Boone said.

Judge also continued to experience a power outage; the captain has now gone a career-high 16 consecutive games without a homer, watching Soto’s winning knock from the on-deck circle as he finished the evening 1-for-4. Judge has gone 72 plate appearances without a homer, also a career high.

“He probably needs to get thrown out again,” said left-hander Nestor Cortes, jokingly referring to Judge’s first career ejection on May 4. “On a serious note, Judge is going to come out again and be the guy for us, no doubt. He’s the heart of our lineup.”

Though the bats have been chilly, the Yanks’ pitching has been sharp of late, with starters permitting one earned run or fewer in seven of the last 10 games. As Soto said: “Right when we need them to get hot, it’s a good sign.”

It was Cortes’ turn on Thursday, as he limited the Red Sox to Danny Jansen’s fifth-inning homer in a five-inning, nine-strikeout effort.

Cortes had been upset by a move to the bullpen in his last outing, when he combined on a three-hit shutout with Clarke Schmidt at Wrigley Field, but now says he is willing to do whatever the team needs of him. Cortes is 4-0 with a 1.85 ERA over his last six appearances.

“I know last week I might have come off like I was asking for too much, but I got my point across,” Cortes said. “At the end of the day, I’m going to do whatever this team needs me to do to win. … I think the goal, we have it in sight. We’re two weeks away. All we want to do is win ballgames and get to October.”