WATCH: Aaron Judge & Juan Soto's endearing exchange after latter's outstanding throw
The highly anticipated Aaron Judge and Juan Soto combination has gotten off to a hot start as the New York Yankees completed a 5-4 comeback against the Houston Astros on Opening Day.
Soto's addition to the already stacked Yankees lineup over the winter made headlines for weeks and when the moment finally arrived, it was worth the wait. The newly acquired outfielder started the Yankees bounce back with a hit and completed it with a throw out in the ninth inning.
In a clip doing the rounds on X(formerly Twitter), Soto can be seen sharing an endearing celebration with Judge after his clutch play.
In what was the worst Yankees season in a generation last year, Aaron Judge was the only spark in an otherwise lackluster campaign. They were heavily reliant on their captain and failed to step up when he was out injured. However, the team looks completely changed with the addition of Juan Soto into the mix.
Soto's inspiring performance promises a season where Judge won't have to shoulder all the responsibility and will have a reliable temmate to share it with him. It was clear to see as the pair of them celebrated the clutch play together.
While the Yankees fell 4-0 behind early in the game, Juan Soto started the comeback with an RBI single in the fifth, which resulted in three runs in the inning. Oswaldo Cabrera then homered in the sixth while Alex Verdugo's sacrifice fly in the seventh allowed Judge to score. Finally, the Yankees bullpen wrapped it at that with some help from Soto's defensive play in the final inning.
Juan Soto heroics backed up by Yankees bullpen as they shut the door on Astros
While Juan Soto and the New York Yankees lineup started late and completed a comeback against the Houston Astros on Opening Day, their pitching arms followed a similar pattern in their part.
Starting pitcher Nestor Cortes had a shaky start in the first two innings but settled in over the next three. He was followed by Jonathan Loaisiga, Ian Hamilton and Clay Holmes, who shut out the Astros over the last four innings.
Cortes managed to retire 12 of the last 13 batters he faced and spoke to the media about what it meant to start for the Yankees on opening day:
"Obviously... the opening day starter carries some weight but I treat it as a normal game. I try to be as calm as possible."