CHICAGO — Three times on Tuesday night, Juan Soto sent baseballs flying out of Guaranteed Rate Field.
Soto delivered his first career three-homer game, solely providing the New York Yankees with a four-run lead against the woeful Chicago White Sox.
‘It’s really fun, definitely cool to see it,” Soto said of his eventful evening. ‘Even better to get the win out of it.”
Surviving a nervous ninth inning, Jake Cousins bailed out a tired Yankees bullpen, stranding the bases loaded for his first career save.
That validated Nestor Cortes’ seven scoreless innings with nine strikeouts (zero walks, three hits), marking the lefty’s best effort in over a month.
All things Yankees: Latest New York Yankees news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.
‘Felt like something clicked for me,” said Cortes.
How Juan Soto got back in the groove
Soto had a shot at a fourth homer in the Yankees’ half of the ninth but settled for a walk after hacking at a 3-0 delivery.
‘I tried my best,” said Soto, who found a new way to impress Aaron Judge.
After grounding out in his first at-bat, Soto took about 20 dry swings near the dugout – as witnessed by the Yankees’ captain.
Following Soto’s second homer, ‘I was kind of joking with him…’That’s all it takes, a couple dry swings and you hit a couple homers?’ ” said Judge. ‘And he did it a third time.”
Asked about that dry swing remedy, Soto answered matter-of-factly.
White Sox right-handed starter Jonathan Cannon “threw me a pitch I should have hammered, and I just rolled it over,’’ said Soto. “So, I went back to my routine and started thinking’’ how to change that outcome.
In the stretch run of his free agent walk year – with a massive payout awaiting – Soto connected three consecutive times Tuesday, starting with a third-inning, two-run shot to left off Cannon.
Leading off the fifth against Cannon, the lefty-swinging Soto launched one over the left-center field wall.
Soto followed up in the seventh with another solo shot, this time to right off lefty reliever Fraser Ellard, and punctuated with an emphatic flip of the bat.
Batting with a runner at first base and one out in the ninth, with the Yanks ahead by three runs, Soto walked on a 3-1 pitch by lefty Jared Shuster.
Still seeking his 300th career homer, Judge walked twice, singled twice and struck out Tuesday.
On Sunday against Texas, Soto had a two-homer afternoon at Yankee Stadium, so he’s now homered five times in his last three games – covering his last 10 at-bats.
Last month, rookie Ben Rice became the first Yankee to have a three-homer game this season, at home against the Red Sox.
Soto now has 33 homers this season, two shy of his single-season career high established last year with the San Diego Padres.
Batting after his third homer Tuesday, Soto received standing cheers from many of the 21,199 South Side fans – and then head boos, as Shuster ran the count deep before walking him.
The same groans were heard as Judge followed by drawing a walk.
This was a needed offensive boost for the Yanks, who went 2-for-18 with runners in scoring position in Monday night’s series opener, a 12-2 loss to a White Sox club that had lost 24 of their last 25 games.
