Juan Soto proves why he's missing a piece to the Yankees' World Series puzzle

It's almost too perfect to believe, right? Looking for a way to deal with the vagaries of October and end their recent spate of playoff scares, the mighty New York Yankees are making a mega-trade to land baseball's best young offensive player. Juan Soto.

The implication, of course, is: “Take us to the World Series, Juan. You are the missing piece.” But it all worked out – Soto proved to be the missing piece. The perfect hitter pushed an imperfect team to American League champions for the first time since 2009.

Soto delivered the biggest hit in Game 5 of the AL Championship Series, shutting down a very strong Guardians team. In the top of the 10th inning, Soto hit a three-run home run, a hit that gave the Yankees a 5-2 victory over Cleveland. The Yanks won the series four games to one.

It could be Soto's defining moment. But he's so good that it probably won't be his greatest moment when his career is over in a few years. Whatever the case and whatever happens in this World Series, Soto has etched himself deep into Yankees history. Maybe his homer wasn't the sudden dagger of Aaron BooneThe 2003 explosion that killed the Red Sox, or that one Chris Chambliss hit to beat the Royals in 1976, but it served the same purpose.

“Just that kind of ability to seize the moment,” Boone said of Soto in the postgame interview room in Cleveland. “Every big moment he was in, he delivered for us time and time again.

“In the biggest moments, that’s what he does, and that shouldn’t be taken for granted.”

So Soto, his partner on the demolition crew, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, who won the ALCS MVP after hitting four home runs in the series, and the rest of the Yankees go to the Fall Classic against either the Mets or the Dodgers.

That's why the Yankees brought Soto here, and it's what everyone else in pinstripes wants, too. But at various points throughout the summer it looked so unlikely that they would still be playing in the chilly October cold. After a dismal 82-80 season last year, the Yankees got off to a 50-22 start in the 2024 regular season, but then faltered.

And wobbled even more.

Yes, there were days when they seemed unstoppable. But there were too many others where they usually looked like they were preparing to become another team's scapegoat come October. Again. Many of their own fans doubted their chances of doing any damage after the season.

However, here they are. They beat the Royals in the AL Division Series in four games and then beat the Guardians in five. They didn't have to face their arch-enemies, the Astros, who didn't play well enough to counter them along the way. Well, yes. That may be a demon that can be exorcised in another season.

During the Yanks' sometimes difficult season, Soto has been one of the few constants. He never stopped hitting and showed the baseball world why the Yankees sent five players to the Padres in exchange for just one guaranteed Soto season. This one. It's hard to imagine what the atmosphere around the Yankees would have been if they hadn't even gotten this far. It's only been 15 years since they won it, although the calendars consulted by Yankee fans describe that time as a torturous ice age in which minutes take hours.

That and the future uncertainty surrounding Soto is why they needed to make it to the World Series now. Soto is a free agent who will spark epic winter intrigue with reverberations reaching from the Bronx to Queens and beyond. That's a saga for a colder day, but honestly every team should try to sign a talent like him.

Right now, he's a huge part of a World Series team, a team capable of achieving all of its goals, especially when he has more offense like the one he unleashed in the 10th inning on Saturday night.

Soto delivered a masterclass in the batter's box against Cleveland relievers Hunter Gaddis. Soto strutted around, nodding between pitches. He seemed to enjoy battling it out with Gaddis, one of the top performers in baseball's best bullpen all season.

Soto and Gaddis showed cunning and savvy on seven throws, and Soto fouled the final four throws before his swing ended. When Gaddis came to power, Soto followed him. He smashed a 95.2 mph fastball — the only fastball Gaddis threw to him — 402 feet. According to Statcast, he hit the ball at a speed of nearly 110 miles per hour.

Not long after, the game was sealed. Soto, perhaps fittingly, caught the final out in right field. The Yankees are headed to their 41st Fall Classic and seeking their 28th World Series title. That's why Soto is here.

Game 1 is Friday. Friday is Juan Soto's 26th birthday. Good omens, anyone?