The Yankees' best Guardians win the AL pennant while Soto plays hero

CLEVELAND – Juan Soto hit a three-run home run with two outs in the 10th inning and the New York Yankees reached their 41st World Series – and first in 15 years – by beating the Cleveland Guardians 5-2 in Game 5 the AL Championship Series on Saturday evening.

Baseball's biggest brand returns to the main stage in October.

Soto, signed in a seven-player trade with San Diego in December, put the Bronx Bombers in position with a big hit on Hunter Gaddis.

“I was all in, I was all in,” Soto told TNT about the decisive blow. “That was the only thing on my mind. I just said to myself, 'You're into this guy. You fancy this guy.' … I just had to make good contact, and I did that.”

It was the second extra-inning home run in a potentially decisive game in the Yankees' postseason history. The other came from Aaron Boone in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS against the Boston Red Sox.

The Yankees will try to win their 28th title against either the New York Mets or the Los Angeles Dodgers. Game 6 of the NL Championship Series takes place on Sunday at Dodger Stadium.

“We’re right where we’re supposed to be,” said Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, who made the deal for Soto.

In the 10th, Austin Wells walked with one out and Alex Verdugo followed with a grounder to second baseman Andres Gimenez, whose soft throw into the pocket by rookie shortstop Brayan Rocchio was deflected on an error.

Gaddis struck out Gleyber Torres to bring Soto to 1-2 before New York's stylish outfielder sent a shot over the center wall. Soto danced down the first base line, pausing to celebrate with his teammates before circling the bases.

Soto is eligible for free agency this winter and Yankees fans chanted “Re-sign Soto!” during the postgame celebration.

ALCS MVP Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run home run for the Yankees, who took care of the Guardians in five games, but it wasn't easy.

New York won the first two games at Yankee Stadium without much fanfare or drama. In Cleveland, however, it was a different story as all three games at Progressive Field were exciting.

The Guardians rallied to win Game 3 with two two-run home runs in their final two at-bats, and the Yankees were able to win Game 4 after blowing a four-run lead.

“It was a rollercoaster ride and we were just able to keep fighting back,” Stanton said. “We know there’s still a lot of work to do and it’s all uphill from here and we have to get it done.”

Cleveland simply didn't have enough, and a surprising season under first-year coach Stephen Vogt ended just short of a World Series. The franchise has been without a title since 1948, currently the longest losing streak in baseball.

The Yankees are back in the World Series, back where their fans expect them to be every year.

The club's fourth-place finish in the AL East last season, 82-80, led to a “conscience search as an organization” over the winter, said Boone, who was widely criticized but is one of only three managers to take over New York made the playoffs in six of his first seven seasons.

While the team's core remained largely intact, the acquisition of Soto in a blockbuster transfer on December 7 – New York sent five players to San Diego for the three-time All-Star outfielder – accelerated the team's return to title contender status.

“It was a good day,” Boone said with a laugh before the game.

Stanton's 446-foot rocket into the left-field bleachers made it 2-0 in the sixth, chasing Tanner Bibee, who had struck out New York's dangerous DH in his first two at-bats and held the Yankees scoreless through the first five innings.

It was Stanton's fourth home run of the Series – his third in three days – and his 16th of the postseason, moving him into fourth place on the club's career list behind Bernie Williams (22), Derek Jeter (20) and Mickey Mantle (18).

Before the game, Boone was asked what makes Stanton so good.

“First of all, he can hit harder than anyone,” Boone said. “So the physical nature of what he does is unlike almost anyone else in the world.”

But Boone continued to praise Stanton's discipline at the table, “his approach, his process, how he studies guys.”

“There's something he does when he's not only very physically gifted, but he also becomes comfortable with people,” Boone said.

The Guardians took a 2-0 lead in the fifth off Carlos Rodon's Steven Kwan's RBI single with two outs. But Cleveland missed a big chance for more, leaving the bases loaded when Lane Thomas fumbled against Mark Leiter Jr. on the first pitch.

Information from ESPN Research and The Associated Press was used in this report.