Field Level Media
Jun 13, 2018
Rookie Juan Soto blasted the tiebreaking homer with one out in the top of the seventh inning, recorded his first career multi-homer game and drove in four runs as the Washington Nationals recorded a 5-4 victory over the New York Yankees Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium.
Soto hit a three-run homer in the fourth off right-hander Sonny Gray and gave the Nationals a 5-4 lead when he lifted a 1-0 fastball from Chasen Shreve (2-1) over the right-center field fence. The ball easily cleared the fence, soared over Yankees' bullpen, landed in a pavilion adjacent to the bleachers and traveled an estimated 436 feet.
At 19 years, 231 days, Soto became the youngest player to homer in a regular season game at any version of Yankee Stadium since Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. also homered twice for the Seattle Mariners on May 30, 1989. He is the third youngest player to homer in any game against the Yankees.
Additionally, Soto is the youngest player with a multi-homer game in the majors since Andruw Jones did so on Aug. 22, 1996.
Soto raised his average to .344 by hitting his fourth and fifth homers. The left fielder also hit his fourth homer off a southpaw and atoned for getting picked off first base in the second inning, one of five outs the Nationals made on the bases.
Soto's big night helped the Nationals avoid getting blanked in three straight games for the first time since the franchise moved to Washington following the 2004 season.
Third baseman Anthony Rendon drove in the other run with a sacrifice fly as Washington improved to 26-12 since April 29.
Bryce Harper was in the lineup after getting hit on the left elbow and left foot Tuesday. Harper started in center field for the first time in four career games at Yankee Stadium and went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts
Greg Bird and rookie Gleyber Torres hit solo homers for the Yankees, who lost for the third time in 13 games. Giancarlo Stanton had three singles, including an RBI base hit and Aaron Judge lifted a sacrifice fly.
Washington's Erick Fedde made his second start of the season and allowed four runs on six hits in five innings. Justin Miller (4-0) struck out the side in the sixth and pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
Sammy Solis recorded the final out of the seventh, Ryan Madson stranded two in a scoreless eighth and Sean Doolittle notched his 17th save.
Gray allowed four runs on seven hits in five innings.
The teams traded sacrifice flies in the first inning and the Yankees took a 2-1 lead with one out in the third when Bird lifted a 1-1 slider into the right field seats for his third homer of the season. After Stanton's single off Rendon's glove made it 3-1 with two outs in the third, the teams traded homers.
Soto gave the Nationals a 4-3 lead when he got enough of Gray's 1-0 fastball and lifted it just into the left field seats with two outs in the fourth. The Yankees tied the game when Torres lifted Fedde's 0-1 sinker over the left field fence on a drive that bounced off an advertisement in the back of the visiting bullpen.
--Field Level Media