NEW YORK -- Yankee Stadium shook on Friday, and not only because an earthquake hit the area in the morning. The New York Yankees played their home opener and Juan Soto wore pinstripes for the first time. Soto received a thunderous ovation during baseline introductions and gave a bow to the right field Bleacher Creatures during the first inning Roll Call.
Soto got another standing ovation before his first at-bat.
"The reception's gonna be I think pretty special. I can't wait for that," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before Friday's game. "That's one of the things I think probably everyone's looking forward to a little bit. His vibe's been outstanding. He's been obviously already a key contributor this first week of the season. He's been so impactful on both sides of the ball."
Native New Yorker Marcus Stroman started the Yankee Stadium opener, tossed six shutout innings and clapped his way off the mound after the sixth inning. Through six innings, the vibes in the Bronx were immaculate. Soto was a Yankee, Stroman shoved, and the natives could brag about experiencing an earthquake.
The Toronto Blue Jays were having none of it.
Yusei Kikuchi matched Stroman pitch-for-pitch -- the veteran left-hander struck out seven in 5 1/3 shutout innings -- and, in the top of the seventh inning, utility man Ernie Clement sent Caleb Ferguson's second pitch into the left field seats to break the scoreless tie. The Blue Jays broke the game open thanks to a pair of run-scoring wild pitches in the top of the ninth.
"I was the biggest Yankees fan growing up, so I'm glad we could kick their ass," Clement told Sportsnet after the game.
After all the pregame pomp and circumstance, the Blue Jays shut the Yankees out 3-0 (box score), and New York did not have a runner reach third base in the game. Only two runners made it as far as second base. Alex Verdugo flew out to center to end the game while representing the tying run. The Blue Jays smothered the Yankees and took the life out of the crowd Friday.
Soto went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in his first home game as a Yankee and is quietly in a 1 for 16 slump since going nuclear during New York's four-game sweep in Houston last weekend. The Yankees have scored in only three of their last 35 innings, and in two of those three innings, they were given an automatic runner at second base in extra innings.
"I thought he was really good," Boone said about Kikuchi. "We didn't have much going against him the first few innings, but it was kind of in line with what we've been doing -- I think he was around 70 pitches at that three-inning mark -- we were taking tough at-bats, he was just beating us in spots. He did a good job changing speeds. He was quick at the top (of the zone). Worked both sides of the plate too. Didn't have a lot of real good scoring chances."
One run would have been enough Friday, though offense has been hard to come by for the Blue Jays early in 2024. They've scored only 25 runs in eight games, and eight of those 25 runs came on Opening Day. Toronto was no-hit by Ronel Blanco on Monday and one-hit by five Houston Astros pitchers Wednesday. Even in Friday's win, they scored two of their three runs on wild pitches.
The storybook ending is Verdugo hitting a game-tying home run in the ninth and Soto walking things off later, and then the entirety of the baseball media makes earthquake puns. Alas and alack, it did not happen. Kikuchi, Clement, and the rest of the Blue Jays spoiled Soto's first home at Yankee Stadium. Fortunately for him, there are 80 more home games remaining.
