Dominican player Juan Soto of the New York Yankees is set to face Pittsburgh Pirates’ young sensation pitcher Paul Skenes for the first time in his career, but not just in any game—rather in the 2024 All-Star Game. Prior to this matchup, Soto made a promise to his teammate Aaron Judge.
The American League has already announced its lineup for the All-Star Game to be held on Tuesday, July 16th at Globe Life Park, home of the Texas Rangers. The lineup features Steven Kwan leading off, followed by Gunnar Henderson batting second, and Juan Soto batting third.
It’s anticipated that Paul Skenes will only pitch one inning, so only if one of the first three batters gets on base will there be an opportunity for him to face the cleanup hitter of the American League lineup, none other than the current home run leader, Aaron Judge.
Juan Soto’s promise to Aaron Judge is clear: he’s aiming to get a hit to ensure that Skenes faces Judge in the All-Star Game.
“I’ll make sure he faces him.” – Juan Soto on a potential Aaron Judge vs Paul Skenes matchup in the #AllStarGame pic.twitter.com/ZZdlEjBCND
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 15, 2024
Although it was expected that the first three batters in the lineup would be Gunnar Henderson, Juan Soto, and Aaron Judge, ultimately it was decided that Steven Kwan, the MLB leader in batting average, would take the leadoff spot in the sensational lineup of the Baltimore Orioles.