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On Saturday, both Juan Soto and Bryce Harper will make their respective 2024 playoff debuts. As two of baseball's most electric players this year, MLB's official Instagram account posted a pair of playoff-teasers involving the two stars.
In the video of Juan Soto, former Yankees member Nick Swisher narrated. Swisher spoke of Soto's experience winning the 2019 World Series as a 20-year-old with the Washington Nationals, and how, despite his young age, Soto employs a fearless style of play on the diamond.
In 2024, his first season with the Yankees, Soto hit a career-high 41 homers and led the AL with 128 runs scored. Swisher also touched on the love that has formed between Soto and New York Yankees fans. Having not won the World Series since 2009, the appetite for another championship in the Bronx is certainly existent.
"Juan Soto’s first October donning the pinstripes. Tomorrow." - The Yankee Report
For Bryce Harper's Philadelphia Phillies, the stakes are also high. Set to make their 2024 postseason debut on Saturday against the New York Mets, unlike Soto, Harper does not yet have a World Series to his name.
MLB's video of Harper was narrated by former NL MVP Ryan Howard.
After losing the 2022 World Series to the Houston Astros, and seeing their season end in Game 7 of the NLCS last year, the time is here for the Phillies. Harper has already won two MVP Awards, eight All-Star nods, and four Silver Slugger Awards. However, to date, Harper's World Series file remains empty.
Juan Soto and Bryce Harper head into October with big expectations
Both Harper and Soto are seen as the foundations of their respective clubs heading into the playoffs. With expectations weighing heavily on both clubs, both Juan Soto and Bryce Harper enjoy the confidence of their teammates, as Gerrit Cole told MLB.com about Soto's performances:
“It's been just as much fun, I haven't had to pay for tickets. I get a front-row seat; nobody obstructs my view. He just competes on every pitch like the great players that have come before us, and like the great players that are in every game.”
As is the case every year, the 2024 MLB playoffs will be full of surprises. However, judging by the seasons posted by both Soto and Harper, the Phillies are Yankees find themselves in particularly good positions to succeed deep into October.
