Yankees' Juan Soto Moving Up Impressive List in History with Strong Showing on Thursday

The New York Yankees continued their freefall on Thursday night with a 5-4 loss to the Rays. With the loss, the Yankees are now just 2.0 games up in the battle for the first wild card spot in the American League.

New York Yankees right fielder Juan Soto (22) reacts after hitting a two run home run in the seventh inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Yankee Stadium on July 4. / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees continued their freefall on Thursday night in a 5-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.

New York, who has struggled for nearly a month now, is still an impressive 56-39 on the year, but the situation is tenuous.

They've gone from leading the American League East to trailing the Baltimore Orioles by 2.0 games in the division. Furthermore, because of the backslide, the Yankees now only lead the Minnesota Twins by 2.0 games in the battle for the first wild card spot. They also only lead the Red Sox by 3.5 games for the last wild card spot.

Despite the loss on Thursday, Juan Soto continues to do his part to keep the Yankees afloat. The 25-year-old superstar went 2-for-3 with a home run, an RBI, a run scored and two walks. He's hitting .297 for the year and continued to move up an impressive list in baseball history.

Per @StatsCentre on social media:

Most career games with at least a home run and multiple walks - Player by age 25 or younger:
29- Mickey Mantle
28- Jimmie Foxx
26- Eddie Mathews
24- Juan Soto (Via his effort in Thursday's losing cause vs TB)
24- Ted Williams
21- Frank Thomas
21- Adam Dunn
21- Mike Trout

Most career games with at least a home run and multiple walks - Player by age 25 or younger:
29- Mickey Mantle
28- Jimmie Foxx
26- Eddie Mathews
24- #Yankees Juan Soto (Via his effort in Thursday's losing cause vs TB)
24- Ted Williams
21- Frank Thomas
21- Adam Dunn
21- Mike Trout pic.twitter.com/VWpW6jiGXE

— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) July 12, 2024

The most disciplined hitter in all of baseball, Soto leads the league in on-base percentage at .432 this year. He is also the active leader in OBP at .422. He's also got 22 homers and 64 RBI.

Soto will be starting the All-Star Game next week and that will be his fourth appearance in the Midsummer Classic. He's also a batting champion, a home run derby champion and a World Series champion (2019).

The Yankees begin a massive series on Friday with the Orioles in Baltimore. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. ET.

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