Ten days after the Nationals traded Juan Soto, the outfielder returned to Nationals park in a brown and yellow uniform, this time playing for the San Diego Padres.
The Nationals played a video honoring the 23-year-old’s monumental career in D.C. After the video, National’s park awarded Soto with a standing ovation.
When Soto first came up to the plate Nationals fans cheered and stood up to watch their former World Series champion. At the plate, Soto took off his helmet and waved it at fans as a sign of gratitude for their years of support.
“Nationals fans, thank you for everything. Thank you for being there for me, cheering for me, even if we weren’t in the best moments of the best moments of the team you guys were there every single game,” Soto said in a video tribute to Nationals fans.
Soto not only got a standing ovation out of the Nationals, he also got two hits off of his former team. Soto doubled into deep right and singled into left field in the top of the fifth off of Cory Abbott.
While Nationals fans were celebrating Soto’s return, the rest of the baseball world was receiving news about another Padre player.
On the day of Soto’s return to D.C., it was announced that the Padres’ shortstop, Fernando Tatis Jr., had tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Tatis Jr. received an 80-game suspension.
The Padres won the first game in the series against the Nationals, 10-5, the Nationals were able to win the second game in the series, 4-3. Unfortunately, the Nationals lost the series when the Padres shutout the Nationals, 6-0, in the final game.
These past seasons Nationals fans have become accustomed to seeing their former World Series champions in west coast jerseys. First Anthony Rendon became a Los Angeles Angel and not long after the Nationals sent Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Although the Nationals lost the series to their old teammate, Soto’s return in a Padres’ jersey will be a day that will go down in franchise history.
