Juan Soto wanted to do more than just live up to All-Star Game promise for Aaron Judge

The American League had as formidable of a top of an order as there has been in recent memory for an All-Star Game. They had Steven Kwan, the league's leading hitter, leading off. Gunnar Henderson, an MVP candidate, was hitting second. Juan Soto, a perennial MVP candidate, was set to hit third. Aaron Judge, arguably the best hitter on the planet, was in the clean-up spot.

The AL seemed more than capable of scoring four runs in the blink of an eye, but there was one problem. Paul Skenes was starting for the National League. Yes, he only has 11 MLB starts under his belt for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but is anyone more talented in the game right now?

The matchup all fans wanted to see was Skenes, arguably the best pitcher in the world, against Judge, arguably the best hitter in the world. The only thing standing in the way of that becoming reality was Judge's placement in the order. With Skenes being limited to one inning, someone would've had to get on base for Judge to get a first-inning at-bat against the Pirates' right-hander.

Soto, Judge's teammate with the Yankees, was going to do whatever it took to make sure that happened. Soto ended up living up to his word, drawing a walk on a tough 3-2 pitch that honestly could've been called a strike. It turns out, Soto was trying to do more than just live up to his word.

Juan Soto had more than a walk in mind for his at-bat against Paul Skenes

Soto was brutally honest about his initial approach when facing Skenes for the first time.

"I was trying to take him deep, no lie," said Soto.

It's safe to say this approach didn't work out in Soto's favor at first. He had one of the ugliest swings in his entire career on the first pitch he saw from Skenes.

Soto drew his walk, which he deserves credit for, but going from wanting to hit a home run to barely settling for a walk isn't the best result Soto has ever had. Even though he failed to do more than just deliver on his promise, Soto deserves credit for even being as aggressive as he was, considering how hard it is to hit against Skenes.

Not only did Skenes end the first half with a 1.90 ERA in his 11 starts, but he allowed just seven home runs in 66.1 innings of work. That's less than one home run per nine innings. He's incredibly tough to square up, but Soto was trying his best to do just that on the biggest stage.

As fun as a home run would've been, MLB fans are just happy they got to see the matchup they were all waiting for. The unfortunate reality, though, is that the at-bat everyone wanted to see lasted just one pitch.

The Pirates come to Yankee Stadium for the last series of the year in late September. There's a very real chance Skenes starts one of those three games. Not only will the rookie star be motivated to get Judge out, but he'll certainly try to make Soto look foolish after these comments.