Wonderteen Juan Soto Homers On First Pitch Of First MLB Start

Nineteen-year-old Nationals outfielder Juan Soto became the youngest position player to start in the majors since 2012 tonight, and he immediately proved his worth. On the very first ball that he saw off Padres pitcher Robbie Erlin, Soto crushed a three-run oppo dinger 422 feet into left, earning a curtain call as the youngest player in franchise history to smack a big fly. (He has three days on Bryce Harper’s first tater.)

Soto, who had just 31 at-bats in Double-A before the injury-ravaged Nats called him up, struck out in his first-ever MLB appearance as a pinch hitter on Sunday. He seems to have gotten the hang of the big leagues by now, though.