Juan Soto had a tremendous debut for the New York Yankees on Thursday.
The newly acquired slugger sparked a rally from a 4-0 hole against the Houston Astros, then secured a 5-4 win with an outfield assist on a play at the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning..
Houston trailed, 5-4 with two men on and one out in the bottom of the ninth. Kyle Tucker hit a base hit to right field, and Mauricio Dubón rounded third for home. Soto threw a strike to catcher Jose Trevino, who tagged Dubón out at home.
Officials reviewed the play and confirmed the play on field. Dubón was out. Alex Bregman then grounded into a fielder’s choice to secure the 5-4 Yankees win that looked unlikely when Houston jumped out to a 4-0 lead.
The Astros jumped on Yankees starter Nestor Cortes with a three-run first inning. Houston loaded the bases, and Chas McCormick struck first with a two-run single. A Yainer Díaz RBI single secured the early 3-0 lead that Houston extended to 4-0 in the second.
Valdez, meanwhile, was cruising through four scoreless innings before Yankees bats came alive in the fifth. Juan Soto picked up his first RBI with Yankees on bases-loaded single to cut Houston’s lead to 4-1. Valdez then hit Anthony Rizzo with a pitch to score another run, then walked in a third run with Anthony Volpe.
The Astros pulled him from the game with two outs remaining in the fourth and Houston leading, 4-3. The Yankees tied the game on an Oswaldo Cabrera home run in the sixth before taking their first lead in the seventh.