Soto’s blast lifts Nats in suspended game
WASHINGTON » Juan Soto’s pinch-hit two-run homer in the sixth inning of a game that began and was suspended because of rain last month, five days before he made his major league debut, lifted the Washington Nationals to a 5-3 victory over the New York Yankees in the opener of an unusual doubleheader Monday.
Game 1 resumed with the score 3-all and the Nationals about to bat in the bottom of the sixth. After Bryce Harper — who had a full beard back on May 15, when the game began, but was clean-shaven this time — struck out, and Anthony Rendon singled, Soto drove a 97 mph fastball from Chad Green (4-1) to the back of the second deck in right field.
It was the 19-year-old outfielder’s sixth homer since he was called up from Double-A Harrisburg on May 20. Soto stood and admired the shot before beginning his trot around the bases.
His stats — and all others from Game 1 — will count as being part of the originally scheduled game on May 15, but Soto’s official debut will still be considered on the actual date it happened, according to the Nationals, citing the Elias Sports Bureau.
Another oddity: The loss means the Yankees’ streak of winning eight consecutive series now gets retroactively shortened to seven series.
Wander Suero (1-0) got the win for 1 1-3 scoreless innings — one inning on May 15, and one out on Monday.
Sean Doolittle struck out Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton and got Gary Sanchez to fly out to center in the ninth for his 18th save.
Game 2, which was completely rained out May 16, was to begin a half-hour after Game 1 finished, with Washington’s Erick Fedde facing New York’s Sonny Gray.
The Nationals had lost five of six games entering the day.
In the month-plus since the games were supposed to be played, both teams’ rosters changed, of course. Aside from Soto’s arrival, two position players who started the game for Washington, Howie Kendrick (out for the season with an injury) and Andrew Stevenson (demoted to the minors) are no longer around. For the Yankees, their original starter at first base, Tyler Austin, is in the minors.
Not exactly your average doubleheader for a couple of rookie skippers, New York’s Aaron Boone and Washington’s Dave Martinez.
“Really odd. We’re kind of looking at our old lineup cards, trying to make sense of them. Seeing who might go in their spots, (who isn’t) on the team anymore,” Boone said. “I think we figured it all out to a degree, but it’s been an odd day looking at it all.”
Martinez said the closest thing he could compare this situation to was Game 5 of the 2008 World Series, when the Tampa Bay Rays — he was Joe Maddon’s bench coach then — wound up losing to the Philadelphia Phillies in a contest that began on a Monday, was halted in the sixth inning because of rain, and concluded on a Wednesday.
“It’s weird, man,” Martinez said.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Yankees: OF Brett Gardner was not listed in the lineup for Game 2 because an MRI exam showed swelling in his right knee, although Boone said he didn’t expect Gardner to go on the DL. Gardner was not available for Game 1 because he already had pinch-hit before play was halted last month . ... With Gardner’s status uncertain, the Yankees recalled OF Clint Frazier from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre and optioned INF Ronald Torreyes down to that minor league affiliate.