Juan Soto extended his hot start to his New York Yankees career in Monday’s 7-0 victory over the Miami Marlins, hitting his first Yankee Stadium home run and helping New York improve to 9-2, equal with the Pittsburgh Pirates for the best record in the majors.
But it was something Soto did just before the game that may have piqued Yankees fans’ interest more than his majestic three-run home ball to right field in the fourth inning.
Soto signed a baseball for a Yankees fan moments before the game’s first pitch, then promptly returned to a defensive position as Cortes began his windup. Check out this video of the moment, courtesy of @marioagomez_1, a Yankees fan on X (previously Twitter).
Soto had just enough time to put pen to ball before the game began, which he confessed afterward, according to The New York Post.
“I saw the clock, and I was hesitant because the game was set to begin at 6:08. So I had two minutes, and when I turned back, Nestor had practically moved. Soto exclaimed, “Oh my God.”
Soto has spent no time in warming himself to Yankees fans, whom he greeted with a full bow following his first roll call at Yankee Stadium on Friday.
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Donald Trump receives an endorsement from Yankees great Mariano Rivera, the likely GOP nominee’s ‘friend’ and former member of his administration.
Mariano Rivera, 77, a friend and former co-chair of the White House Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, has endorsed Donald Trump, the likely Republican presidential nominee.
Rivera has been a staunch Trump fan since the reality television star originally competed for the Republican nomination in 2016. In fact, they’ve been pals since the Hall of Famer’s playing days.
‘President Trump is my friend,’ Rivera said host Sid Rosenberg. ‘I cannot refute that. I will tell that to anyone. He was my friend before he became president. Because of that, I’m going to vote for him.
Trump’s social media team quickly published footage from the interview on Truth Social.
In addition to serving on Trump’s Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition Council, Rivera was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his pitching domination and inspirational journey from Panama to the Major Leagues.
‘I have received the Medal of Freedom from President Donald Trump,’ Rivera said Rosenberg. ‘That was an incredible moment. Receiving that metal was really wonderful.
“Mariano Rivera has made extraordinary contributions to American sports, culture, and society,” Trump remarked when he presented the honor to Rivera in 2019. He is the most dominant relief pitcher in baseball history.
“More than that, he has lived the American dream and serves as an example of American greatness for all to see.”
Rosenberg, a controversial figure who has used homophobic slurs to disparage tennis and soccer players, then asked Rivera if he believes the country requires Trump to return to the White House in 2025.
Rivera said, ‘I’m not a politician,’ implying that he continues to back Trump. I’ll tell you that right now. I am not going for the right or the left. I always support whoever is doing the right thing for the country.’
Rivera has the most saves in MLB history, and he is the only player to have been unanimously chosen to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
He became a naturalized US citizen in 2015 and has subsequently embraced Israel, voicing strong support for the Jewish state.
While Rivera has remained popular among baseball fans despite his support for Trump, retired pitcher Curt Schilling has blamed his Hall of Fame omission on writers’ ‘hate’ of the former President and conservatives.
Rivera, however, had no such criticism from BBWAA members, who overwhelmingly elected him to the Hall of Fame in 2019.
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