WASHINGTON — Back at his first major league home Tuesday afternoon, Juan Soto took the field early at Nationals Park to catch up with some of his former teammates and coaches. They all reminisced a bit. Soto also had a message for her.
“When it’s game time, I play for the team I care about,” he said. “So I don’t care [ties to the Nationals] Then I told them.
“I told them, ‘I’m going to hit them a home run.'”
And Juan Soto is a man who keeps his word.
Or as Padres manager Bob Melvin put it, “He’s just good.”
It’s not the first time Soto has returned to Nationals Park since the blockbuster deal that brought him to San Diego for the trade deadline last summer. But it was obviously a meaningful reunion nonetheless.
Before the game, Soto spoke fondly of his time in DC, where he won the 2019 World Series and secured a batting title, three Silver Sluggers and two All-Star appearances. Before his first swing, Soto received an ovation from the crowd at Nationals Park. He got out to hold his helmet up to the fans and the ovation only got louder.
“It all started here,” Soto said. “This is where my dreams started. It feels great to come into this box even though I’m on a different team.”
Soto immediately reminded those fans what they were missing. He threw the first pitch and nailed a 113.8mph single against left-hander MacKenzie Gore — a former top Padres contender and one of the players Soto was traded for.
Soto’s seventh-inning home run against Erasmo Ramírez was the 50th of his career at Nationals Park — but his first as a visitor. He readily admitted his feelings on Tuesday were different from last August when he first played for the Padres at Nationals Park.
“The last year was definitely a bit more emotional,” said Soto. “This year has been emotional but rather happy. I felt happier instead of sad about being traded or something. I was more excited to be out there playing for these fans.”
He put on quite a show too. Soto’s home run left his bat with a takeoff speed of 113.1 mph. Coupled with his single in the first inning, it marked the first time he had potted two batted balls at 113 mph or more in the same game.
“He’s a smart guy,” said Ramírez, Soto’s teammate last year. “He knows who’s pitching. So he will work, depending on what you throw at him. And every time he sees a mistake, he’ll just do what he did to me today.”
After circling bases and just before stepping onto home plate, Soto looked into the Nationals’ dugout and grinned. He later revealed that he was specifically intent on catching coach Henry Blanco, who was closely associated with Soto during his time in DC
It was Blanco in particular that Soto scored the winning goal.
“[Blanco] asked me if I wanted to go colorful,” Soto said. “I told him ‘no’.” … I told him I was going to hit a home run and look at him.”
Soto’s blast gave San Diego a 5-3 lead, and after a single from Xander Bogaerts, Jake Cronenworth opened the game with a two-run shot. The Nationals had teamed up to end the game with a three-run rally in the fifth inning that included a two-run home run from shortstop CJ Abrams — also part of the Soto trade.
The Padres reacted quickly – the kind of reaction they haven’t gotten enough of during their struggles over the past few weeks.
“It was great,” Cronenworth said. “It was the first time we’ve done that in a long time.”
The Padres still haven’t solved their RISP problems; They went 9-0 with the men in goal position. But they’ve now scored seven runs in consecutive games despite going 1-19 with RISP over that span.
Of course, they hit four home runs on Tuesday, which helps. Alongside Soto and Cronenworth, Bogaerts and Brandon Dixon also went deep.
On the other hand, just one of those four Padres home runs elicited cheers from Washington fans. Those fans won’t soon forget Soto’s exploits here.
“A lot of wins, a championship – I mean, there’s a lot of great memories,” said Soto.
And he insists on making new ones.