Yankees finally get last laugh against AL East rival as Juan Soto shrugs off Jose Siri

The Yankees appeared agitated by the antics of the Tampa Bay Rays during Sunday afternoon's sobering loss. New York's offense got engaged far too late, powered exclusively by Aaron Judge and Juan Soto as they fell 6-4.

On the flip side of that final score, Rays outfielder Jose Siri homered with two outs in the seventh inning to extend Tampa Bay's lead, following in the footsteps of ... well, an impossibly large number of his teammates, as the club launched eight bombs between Saturday and Sunday's action. He certainly enjoyed the spectacle, as did teammate (and constant thorn) Randy Arozarena, who outright walked around the bases earlier in the contest.

Typically, the best way to avoid getting dogwalked by your rivals is by not allowing majestic home runs, a strategy the Yankees were unable to master over the weekend. The Rays got one more pinprick in on Monday afternoon, cutting a four-run Yankees lead to three with another Siri short-porcher.

This trot took even longer, and drew Aaron Judge's ire once more.

Yankees defeat Rays as Juan Soto makes Jose Siri's home run trot look like Michael Phelps in the 100 meter

The Captain did his part in combating Siri's surge on Sunday. After his monstrous three-run homer in the seventh cut the deficit, he took his sweet time, gesturing to the outfield and gesticulating when he hit the dish. Monday's Siri celebration didn't ignite Judge's fire. It just, finally, prompted the correct form of team-wide response.

In recent years, the Yankees have been on the wrong side of so many punkings, taking early victory laps and opening the door for their rivals to heartily enjoy the last laugh. This time, in the final showdown against the Tampa Bay Rays during the regular season this year, they actually did it right.

Don't mimic Jose Altuve when you haven't polished off the sweep. Don't carry a boombox around Fenway Park after Game 2. The best way to respond isn't by unfurling a gesture, but simply by ... winning the baseball game. Winning several in a row is even better, actually. You can rock the baby when you've won the entire series.

Juan Soto, clearly inspired by the Rays' zeal for the game, hit a third-deck smash in the seventh to push the Yankees' lead to 6-1, taking all the time in the world to circle the bases. In case the Yankees' bullpen needed more insurance, he jacked another three-run tater in the very next frame. That secured the victory, both on the field and in the court of public opinion, allowing Soto the opportunity to take some more light potshots while winking in the postgame.

Perhaps Judge just needed a running mate in Soto to make this version of revenge easier to close the door on, but it feels much better to win the on-field war than the war of words (or gestures).

Actions speak louder than Soto's trolling, after all, and his powerful bat made sure that no neutral troll remembers Siri's obnoxious actions now that the dust has settled.

Siri had the right to do exactly what he did. Unfortunately for him, he left the Yankees plenty of room to respond, and had the misfortune of being one of the very few targets they've latched onto and squashed these past several seasons.