NEW YORK – Shohei Ohtani’s dog might be named Decoy, but Juan Soto was the real decoy on Friday night.
The supersonic slugger was kept out of the lineup after discomfort in his left forearm forced him to withdraw from Thursday night’s game against Minnesota. For 16 hours, YankeeLand sweated profusely and bit its nails, but the worst-case scenario did not come to pass. The images revealed that Soto’s pain was simply inflammation and not structural damage. The team, its fans and Soto breathed a collective sigh of relief. Still, Yankees captain Aaron Boone determined that a day off wouldn’t be the worst idea.
And so, the most anticipated matchup of the regular season, a possible preview of the World Series, took place without one of its biggest stars.
For 10 innings, the Yankees and Dodgers traded zeroes despite a starting pitching matchup that, on paper, looked like a mismatch. It was Dodgers flamethrower ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto who won $325 million against a gentleman named “Cody Poteet” forced to take over by a rash of untimely Yankee injuries. Yamamoto was overwhelming, Poteet was careful, but the result was the same: a streak of goose eggs.
But in the top of the 11th, after some tightrope bullpen moments, Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez broke things open with a gap-splitting two-run double to left field. The Yankees got one over in the bottom half on an Aaron Judge single, but neither Giancarlo Stanton nor Anthony Rizzo could find success against Los Angeles reliever Yohan Ramirez.
The Dodgers escaped the first game of this three-game set with a thrilling 2-1 victory.
“It was a great game,” Boone admitted afterward during his recap press conference. “Good pitching, good plays, tough at-bats. “Both teams had a couple of opportunities to break through but they couldn’t, it was just a very well-pitched game.”
Asked if his ailing superstar had been available to pinch-hit, Boone smiled sheepishly, shook his head and said “not tonight.”
Throughout the night, Soto was present on the top step of the Yankees dugout, occasionally wearing batting gloves and a bat in his hands. In the end, it’s clear that Boone, Soto and the Yankees were not, under any circumstances, planning to bring the soon-to-be free agent into the game. The season is long and full of terrors. Soto needed a day, the Yankees didn’t want the Dodgers to know that.
“We have a plan”. Soto told reporters after the game, implying that his anxiety during the game was simply his way of staying sane. Boone revealed that Soto didn’t even take a single swing or warm up during the game. It was all fugazi, although in the end it didn’t matter. The Dodgers won because they executed. This was also a game that asked Juan Soto. Several things may be true.
The entire scene, Soto or not, was certainly unique.
This is only the third time the Dodgers have traveled to the Bronx for a regular season series since interleague play began in 1997. MLB’s new balanced schedule will make these homecoming trips a biennial occurrence for the Dodgers. Perhaps, over time, the frequency will decrease the brightness. For now, there’s still some newness to the show.
For a century, baseball history flowed through these two franchises, both before and after the Dodgers left Brooklyn for Southern California in 1957. For the next 40 summers, the two clubs never saw each other as they made history in their own leagues and their own sides of the country. From time to time, the baseball gods would send the two powerhouses to the same World Series for a high-stakes bi-coastal meeting.
This current series, given the current state of these franchises, has a Fall Classic feel to it. The Yankees and Dodgers entered Friday night with the two best championship odds, by FanGraphsand any betting house it’s worth it. Calling this matchup a possible World Series preview is equal parts sensational and sensible. The Yankees have the best record in the MLB. The Dodgers have the best roster in the MLB. Nobody would be surprised.
An announced crowd of 48,048, the Yankees’ largest paid attendance of the season, packed into The House That Jeter Built. Long lines snaked around themselves outside the patio’s home plate gate just minutes before the first pitch. Throngs of guests and assorted onlookers lingered on the infield warning track during batting practice. An overwhelmingly large media contingent filled the press box to the brim. A night wind, with a slight coolness, evoked thoughts of autumn weather.
But the decisions made that night reminded us that we are still in June and these games still mean relatively little. In October, Soto would be in the starting lineup, with his swollen arm filled with medical remedies. At the very least, he would be a pinch-hitter for Rizzo in the 11th. However, even if Soto had been available, it is unlikely that Boone would have made such a ruthless statement, replacing who is supposed to be one of his key players. .
There is something called living for tomorrow.
Whether Soto will play when these two clubs recover for Game 2 on Saturday night is a completely different story.
Boone said, “We’ll communicate tomorrow and see where we are.”
