In Photos 'Despacito' singer Daddy Yankee shares smiles with Juan Soto at the Bronx ahead of ALCS Game 2
Ever since Juan Soto stepped onto the field at Yankee Stadium wearing the pinstripes, a love affair between the slugger and the fanbase has taken hold. With his club now six wins away from a World Series title, that fondness is now bordering on mania.
Ahead of Game 2 of the ALCS in the Bronx, a very special guest took to the field during batting practice to rub shoulders with some Yankees players. Among them was Juan Soto, whose picture with Daddy Yankee headlined the Instagram post on MLB's official Spanish language account.
Ramon Ayala Rodriguez - known professionally as Daddy Yankee - is a world-famous Puerto Rican rapper and songwriter. Known primarily for his 2017 hit Despacito with Luis Fonsi, the tune became the first Spanish song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in over two decades.
New York City hosts one of the largest Puerto Rican communities in the United States, and many of whom are devout New York Yankees fans. By inviting Daddy Yankee to take to the field during batting practice, the Yankees had a generational talent in their mix.
While Juan Soto himself went 1-for-3 with a walk, the Yankees defeated the Cleveland Guardians by a score of 6-3 to go 2-0 up in the series. As the series heads back to Cleveland for three games, Soto's club is in a position to clinch their ticket to the World Series on the road.
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On the heels of a season that saw him reach a career high in home runs, Soto is having a good postseason so far. In six games, the Dominican stud has hit .350/.462/.550 with a homer and three RBIs.
Juan Soto looks to add even more hardware to his trophy case
During his previous seven seasons with both the Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres, Soto has won four All-Star nods and four Silver Sluggers, along with a batting title and a World Series. Now, he is under consideration for his first career Gold Glove. As Yankees manager Aaron Boone told the New York Post about Soto's fielding in 2024:
“I’m not surprised, because I vote on that — you can’t vote for your own guys — but we get that [ballot] two or three weeks ago, it pops on your desk. They give you numbers in there to reference. He was up there, I noticed, on all the right field stuff in a lot of areas. Plus he’s had a ton of assists out there.”
Expect Soto to be on the forefront of his team's continued push for glory when the ALCS resumes on Thursday.