Yankees slugger Juan Soto completes milestone by hitting home runs in all 30 MLB stadiums: ‘Everybody checked out’
New York Yankees star Juan Soto set a new single-season career high by hitting his 40th home run of the year in a blowout win over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday. However, Soto’s home run had more historical significance than just setting a new personal best. First, it was his first career home run at T-Mobile Park, meaning he has now hit it in all 30 current MLB ballparks.
“It’s a great feeling for me; so many different ballparks, so many different dimensions,” Soto told reporters, including MLB’s Brian Hoch. “I just want to get them all checked out. What a way to go into free agency, having all 30 ballparks on my list checked off.”
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Soto is one of six players who have hit home runs in all 30 current ballparks. Who are the others? Carlos Santana, Manny Machado, Randal Grichuk, Matt Olson and Soto’s current Yankees teammate Giancarlo Stanton. Here is a list of the five ballparks where Soto has hit the most damage so far:
- Nationals Park (Nationals): 50 home runs
- Yankee Stadium (Yankees): 23 home runs
- Petco Park (Padres): 18 home runs
- Citizens Banks Park (Phillies): 13 home runs
- Tie: Citi Field (Mets) and Truist Park (Braves): 12 home runs
It’s no surprise that the top five (or six) includes the three ballparks where Soto has played his home games, as well as some former divisional rivals from his time with the Nationals — the team he’s played the most games with in his career so far.
More than that, the 25-year-old Soto is now tied with Frank Robinson and Albert Pujols for the seventh-most home runs (200) before a player’s 26th birthday. Soto won’t blow out his candles until late October, which means he has 11 more regular-season games to improve his standing. Jimmie Foxx holds that particular record, having struck out 222 of those bad boys at that point.
Soto will enter Wednesday’s contest batting .287/.417/.576 (177 OPS+). Regardless of what happens the rest of the way, he will enter the offseason ranked as the No. 1 available free agent by CBS Sports.
