Juan Soto avoids injury after spectacular sliding catch

SEATTLE — It is no stretch to say that the Yankees’ postseason dreams hung in the balance as Juan Soto took a few extra beats on the dirt warning track Thursday afternoon at T-Mobile Park, having slid hard into the right-field wall while making a dazzling seventh-inning catch.

Almost every member of the Yankees’ defense clustered around the superstar, willing him back to his feet. Soto rose tentatively, flexing his left knee, then told manager Aaron Boone that he could continue in New York’s eventual 3-2 loss against the Mariners. A coast away, you could sense a city exhaling.

Less than 24 hours after toasting the Yankees’ clinch postseason entry in a wet and wild clubhouse celebration, Soto gave the Yanks a scare, completing what was arguably his best defensive grab of the season.

Soto snared a Jorge Polanco foul pop, showing noticeable discomfort as he threw the ball in to keep Randy Arozarena from scoring from second, then reached immediately for his left knee.

Boone and head athletic trainer Tim Lentych were among those consulting with Soto, who drew cheers from the crowd as he remained in the game.

The play on the field was initially ruled a foul ball, with umpires ruling that the ball glanced off the wall before entering Soto’s glove. Arozarena, who had tagged and moved from second to third, was initially sent back to second base. But the call was overturned after a replay review, giving the Yankees the second out of the inning. At that point, umpires granted Arozarena third base as they determined he would have advanced to third had it been called a catch on the field.