The New York Yankees are participating in the World Series for the first time since Obama's first year in office.

Juan Soto hit a three-run home run Saturday to bring the American League pennant back to the Bronx for the first time since 2009. The 25-year-old superstar outfielder worked seven pitches against Cleveland Guardians pitcher Hunter Gaddis, getting two strikes. He smashed a high fastball into deep center field. With an unsure face, he watched it leave his bat and saw how far it would go.

And then it landed over the centerfield fence, giving the Yankees a 5-2 victory in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series and a 4-1 series win.

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New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto celebrates after hitting a three-run home run in the tenth inning against the Cleveland Guardians in Game Five of the ALCS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Progressive Field. (David Dermer-Imagn Images)

The crowd in Cleveland was three-quarters stunned silent, one-quarter loud Yankees fans. The traveling Yankees fans kept the Progressive Field crowd loud and loud long after the finale, chanting “Let's Go Yankees!” that echoed through an otherwise quiet city to the distance of Ohio's Lake Erie.

It's a devastating loss for Cleveland and a continuing trend that's causing grief for the Evil Empire in October.

Cleveland has now lost four postseason series to the Yankees, dating back to 2017, Aaron Judge's rookie season. That year, Cleveland won its own American League pennant, had a 102-win season and the longest winning streak in American League history. With a 2-0 lead, the wild-card Yankees won three straight, and Cleveland hasn't been the same team since. The Yankees defeated Cleveland again in the 2020 Wild Card Series, the 2022 Divisional Series, and have now denied the city a World Series appearance.

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Giancarlo Stanton #27 of the New York Yankees reacts after hitting a three-run home run in the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series at Progressive Field on October 18, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

For the Yankees, the victory is an important step on the way to their 28th championship.

Soto, the hero of the night, was traded in the offseason with only one year left on his contract. Soto has proven this year that he has transformed the impact of the Yankees lineup alongside Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. But the Yankees and general manager Brian Cashman knew they had to win this year to make the trade worthwhile.

Soto could receive the richest contract in MLB history this offseason. He could have commanded such a contract before his game-winning home run on Saturday. Now the price could be even higher.

Now Soto and the Yankees await the winner of the National League Championship series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets.

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The New York Yankees celebrate after defeating the Cleveland Guardians in Game Five of the ALCS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory attribution: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images (SScott Galvin-Imagn Images)

The Dodgers lead the series 3-2 and could secure their ticket to the 12th World Series against the Yankees in their shared history with another home win. The Mets would need to win back-to-back on the road to advance to their hometown rival in the first Subway Series since 2000.

No matter who the Yankees play, the expectation will be the same. But they're hoping that this time, for the first time in far too long, they'll actually live up to the expectations of the Yankee brand.

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