Jorge Soler is the most valuable player in the World Series thanks to his colossal hits

During his childhood in Cuba, Atlanta Braves outfielder Jorge Soler was already so tall at 9 or 10 that, according to his father, people did not believe his age.

“He always wanted to play baseball,” Soler’s father, also named Jorge, said Tuesday night. “From a young age he had the talent. And I wanted to play in the big leagues ”.

These days, Soler, now 29, isn’t just playing in the big leagues; he’s using his massive stature to get balls out of stadiums, guide teams to championships, and win trophies.

On Tuesday, in Atlanta’s 7-0 win over the Houston Astros in Game 6 of the World Series that sealed the Braves’ first title since 1995, Soler hit a massive three-run home run that left the team in awe. his teammates and the entire Minute Maid Park.

It was Soler’s third home run of the series, and each of them had given Atlanta the lead in one game. His efforts earned him the World Series Most Valuable Player award, which saw him join pitcher Liván Hernández of the 1997 Florida Marlins as the only Cuban-born players to earn the distinction.

“This means a lot to me,” Soler said, a Cuban flag draped over his shoulders as he held his daughter, standing in the confetti-covered inner square.

“This is the biggest thing that has happened to me in my career, especially where I come from, Cuba. It’s harder to get here and get to the big leagues and have these results. Is incredible”.

In 2011, Soler, 18, left Cuba on a boat with his father to pursue his baseball dreams, his father said. A year later, he signed a nine-year, $ 30 million contract with the Chicago Cubs. In 2014, he was called up to the Major Leagues at the age of 22.

Over the next two seasons, Soler displayed glimpses of his tantalizing but yet to be honed talent. During the 2016 season, in which the Cubs won the World Series, he hit .238 and hit 12 home runs in 86 games, but was largely relegated to the bench during the postseason.

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After being sent to the Kansas City Royals that winter, Soler battled injuries, demotions and inconsistencies. In 2019, his talent resurfaced: He hit 48 home runs in the American League (leading that season), drove in 117 runs and played all 162 games. But then his performance declined again for the next two seasons.

On July 29 of this season, Soler was hitting .192 and had 13 home runs in 94 games with the Royals. Desperate to revitalize a crumbling team that had lost key outfielders like Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta made a deal for Soler. He was one of four outfielders the Braves acquired at the trade deadline.

“It was a challenge at first,” Soler said. “I felt a bit out of my comfort zone. He didn’t really know anyone. It was kind of hard to go to a new place and start meeting people and all that. In a week, I already felt at home ”.

Soler flourished with Atlanta, helping the team reach the postseason. But during the NL division series against the Milwaukee Brewers, Soler, who was not vaccinated, tested positive for the coronavirus and missed 10 days. He returned for the final two games of the NL Championship Series, feeling terrible about not being around to help his teammates and vowing to get vaccinated as soon as possible. From there, a successful run in the World Series would begin.

“We’ve had time knowing what it can do,” Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “Just two years ago I was hitting 50 home runs. In fact, it’s pretty incredible what he did in the World Series, having COVID, missing 10 days and then coming back and not missing a beat. That is something difficult to achieve in this sport ”.

In the first at-bat of the World Series, Soler homered. In Game 4, his solo home run gave Atlanta the lead in the seventh inning. And in Game 6, he gave Atlanta the solid lead when he hit a slow, broken ball from Astros pitcher Luis Garcia and silenced the home crowd in Houston.

It was Soler’s third home run to give the lead in the World Series. Only Oakland Athletics wide receiver Gene Tenace hit more such home runs in the 1972 World Series (4).

“As soon as the hit hit, I thought, ‘I think it might be a home run,'” reliever Luke Jackson said. “Then I understood that maybe we were never going to find that ball.”

The home run distance was estimated at 136 meters, but it felt longer. Because the retractable roof of Minute Maid Park was open, the ball went over the train tracks in left field and, according to several security guards, landed in a courtyard.

“My goodness, it was an absolute bombshell,” Atlanta reliever Tyler Matzek said of the feat of Soler, who is 1.93 meters tall and weighs 106 kilograms. “He is one of the most physically gifted people I have ever seen in my life. It’s like an NFL tight end swinging the bat. Is incredible”.

At the end of the game, Soler’s father admitted that he thought a lot about his escape from Cuba because it was a horrendous experience and it was what brought them here, to this field to win another World Series, this time with a trophy of most valuable player of the world. the Serie.

“I am very proud of what I did and of how all my teammates played as a team,” said Jorge Soler, who added: “I am very proud of myself and I thank God for the opportunity and the talent.”

© 2021 The New York Times Company

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