Juan Soto was brought in to be the missing piece for a New York Yankees team desperately seeking its first championship in 15 years. Saturday night at Cleveland's Progressive Field, he provided his biggest blast in pinstripes, a 10th-inning miracle that lifted the Yankees into the World Series.

Winning an epic seven-pitch battle against Guardians reliever Hunter Gaddis with two outs and two on in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series, Soto drove a 1-2 pitch high and deep to center field. And the ball kept carrying, and carrying – all the way to the Fall Classic.

It landed in the bullpens beyond the fence in right center field, a three-run home run that delivered a 5-2 victory and a 4-1 ALCS conquest of Cleveland.

New York will open World Series Game 1 on Friday, either at Los Angeles against the Dodgers or home to the New York Mets. Either way, ace Gerrit Cole will be aligned for the start.

Soto made sure of that.

Thanks to a one-out error on shortstop Brayan Rocchio, who muffed an easy force play at second in the top of the 10th, Soto got a shot to hit just as the game's leverage was teetering back toward Cleveland.

He floated the ball 402 feet into the outfield, capping a series in which the Yankees' superstar sluggers - capping a series in which the Yankees' superstar sluggers - Soto, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton - came up huge.

"It’s the best feeling you can ever have. That’s what you play for," said Soto, who won a World Series title in 2019 with the Washington Nationals.

"Now, we are the best team in the American League."

Stanton had tied Saturday's game with a two-run, sixth-inning home run. Meanwhile, the Yankees' bullpen once again came up nearly perfect, pitching 5 ⅓ shutout innings, capped by Luke Weaver's two-inning effort, the second frame shutting down the Guardians after Soto's blast.

Soto is a free agent after this season, bound for a half-billion dollars in riches, somewhere. He ensured his Yankees legacy Saturday night.

Here's how Saturday's game unfolded in Cleveland:

Giancarlo Stanton named ALCS MVP

With four home runs and seven RBI in the Yankees' five-game triumph, Giancarlo Stanton was named MVP of the 2024 ALCS. Stanton homered in Games 1, 3, 4 and 5 of the ALCS and now has 16 career postseason home runs.

Juan Soto three-run homer puts Yankees ahead

With two outs in the top of the 10th, Juan Soto hit a three-run homer that just cleared the center field fence, giving the Yankees a 5-2 lead in the extra inning.

Extra innings in ALCS Game 5: Yankees 2, Guardians 2

The New York Yankees will have to work overtime to advance to their first World Series since 2009.

Game 5 of this ALCS is headed to extra innings after the Yankees and Cleveland Guardians posted zero after zero from their bullpens to finish nine innings tied 2-2.

Most notably, Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase got back on the beam after getting rocked in both Games 3 and 4, earning the loss in the latter. Saturday night, he was faced once again with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton - and this time, struck them out.

For the Yankees, unheralded Jake Cousins came up huge, striking out four of the five batters he faced. Closer Luke Weaver pitched a spotless ninth.

Reminder: There is no automatic runner on second base in extra-inning playoff games.

Giancarlo Stanton home run ties it in sixth

Once again the Cleveland Guardians handled Aaron Judge without incident. But Giancarlo Stanton showed once again there's no escaping the biggest, and for the moment baddest, dude in the New York Yankees' lineup.

Stanton continued his epic postseason in the sixth inning of ALCS Game 5 on Saturday night, tying the score with a mighty swing of his bat that produced a two-run home run that came roaring off his bat at 117.5 mph.

Starter Tanner Bibee had cruised into the fifth inning, retiring 11 of the last 12 Yankee hitters. But singles by Gleyber Torres and Juan Soto prompted a mound visit. Relief ace Cade Smith was warming. Bibee would face Judge - and induce a ground-ball double play.

But Bibee's work was not done, not even after burying Stanton in an 0-2 hole. Stanton worked his way back to a full count and then drove a hanging slider 446 feet to tie the score 2-2.

It was Stanton's fifth home run this postseason and 16th of his career. And the Yankees once again have a shot at closing this ALCS in five games.

Guardians 2, Yankees 0 through five

Tanner Bibee couldn't get out of the second inning in his first start against the New York Yankees in the ALCS. Yet with the Cleveland Guardians in must-win mode, he's delivered exactly what they needed.

Bibee has pitched five shutout innings, retiring 10 in a row at one point, and Steven Kwan's RBI single provided the Guardians' second run to take a 2-0 lead through five innings of Game 5 Saturday night.

With Cleveland's vaunted bullpen clearly gassed after ugly performances in Games 3 and 4, Bibee had to provide some length to take the pressure off his mates. He's done just that, striking out five and inducing a double play.

Meanwhile, Yankees starter Carlos Rodón was lifted after 4 ⅔ innings. Advantage: Cleveland.

Bo Naylor drives in brother Josh to give Cleveland 1-0 lead

The Cleveland Guardians leaned on the Naylor Bros. to take the first lead in ALCS Game 5.

Bo Naylor capped a 10-pitch at-bat against Carlos Rodón by lining a double into the right-field corner, enabling his brother, Josh, to chug home on the full-count, two-out hit for a 1-0 lead against the New York Yankees

It's still early, but the vital signs are OK for the Guardians. Rodón, who won Game 1 for New York, has thrown 40 pitches through two innings, while Guardians starter Tanner Bibee escaped the first tow innings unscathed.

Yankees third base coach gets Torres thrown out in first

Gleyber Torres led off the game with a single and the next batter, Juan Soto, doubled to the wall in right center. Waved on by third base coach Luis Rojas, Torres tried to score from first but Guardians second baseman Andres Gimenez made a perfect throw to the plate, with catcher Bo Naylor applying the tag.

Starter Tanner Bibee hit Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm to load the bases, but got Anthony Rizzo to fly out to left and strand all three runners.

Yankees lineup: ALCS Game 5

1. Gleyber Torres (R) 2B

2. Juan Soto (L) RF

3. Aaron Judge (R) CF

4. Giancarlo Stanton (R) DH

5. Jazz Chisholm Jr. (L) 3B

6. Anthony Rizzo (L) 1B

7. Anthony Volpe (R) SS

8. Austin Wells (L) C

9. Alex Verdugo (L) LF

Guardians lineup: ALCS Game 5

1. Steven Kwan (L) LF

2. David Fry (R) DH

3. José Ramírez (S) 3B

4. Lane Thomas (R) CF

5. Josh Naylor (L) 1B

6. Jhonkensy Noel (R) RF

7. Bo Naylor (L) C

8. Andrés Giménez (L) 2B

9. Brayan Rocchio (S) SS

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yankees vs Guardians highlights: Soto homer sends NY to World Series