Soto’s official first game came five days before his real debut

Juan Soto made his major league debut with the Nationals on May 20, 2018, but the official record for that season has him hitting a pinch-hit home run in a game listed as being played on May 15. How could that be?

Easy enough: Because of rain, the May 15 game in Washington was suspended after five innings with score tied. When it was completed on June 18, Soto already had hit five homers. His two-run shot that night, deep to right field, ending up as the game winner for the Nats, 5-3.

Although the home run remains listed for the game on May 15, Soto’s official debut was less auspicious. He struck out as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning of that May 20 game, a Nationals’ 7-2 loss to the Dodgers in Washington.

Coincidentally, Barry Bonds had a similar official, if delayed, major league debut. Baseball Reference lists it as May 30, 1986, but Retrosheet has it as April 20 of that season. The April 20 game in Chicago was suspended after 14 innings, with the Prates and Cubs tied at 8-8. The game wasn’t concluded until August 11, when Bonds — by then a Pirates regular — drove in the winning run with a pinch-single in the 17th inning. Bonds went 0-for-5 in his actual MLB debut.

Soto ended up finishing second in the 2018 Rookie-of-the-Year voting to Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna Jr. The two future superstars had amazingly similar stats: Acuna hit .293 in 111 games; Soto .292 in 116 games. Acuna had 487 plate appearances to Soto’s 494. Acuna had 26 homers and 64 RBIs; Soto 22 and 70.

Acuna’s slugging percentage was .552 to Soto’s .517. The speedy Acuna stole 16 bases to Soto’s five, but Soto walked 79 times to Acuna’s 45. Thus, Soto’s on-base-percentage of .406 topped Acuna’s .366. (Soto has yet to finish a season with an OBP under .400.)

Soto became the great player that he is with the Nationals. As a 20-year-old, he was a key part of the 2019 World Series-winning team. His hit scored the runs that gave Washington its do-or-die win over Milwaukee in the 2019 N.L. wild card game.

Unlike Bryce Harper, who left as a free agent for Philadelphia, Soto brought Washington a crop of exciting young players when he was traded to San Diego.

Soto’s performance in a Nationals’ uniform left many fond memories for fans of  Washington baseball.