The New York Mets defeated the Washington Nationals in Thursday’s matinee, with a 4-1 score.
The game featured an amazing pitching performance by Mets’ starter Taijuan Walker, who hurled seven scoreless innings, with three hits allowed, a walk, and a strikeout.
Closer Edwin Diaz sealed the deal, but not before conceding a home run to the Nationals’ most dangerous hitter: Juan Soto.
Soto has been expanding the zone a bit as a consequence of trying to do it all in the lineup, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t remain a dangerous hitter.
To the contrary, he will still very much punish pitches that catch too much of the fat part of the zone.
He just homered on a 100-mph pitch, showing his wrists are stronger and faster than ever.
“Juan Soto’s HR came on a 100.6 mph pitch from Edwin Díaz. That’s the fastest pitch he’s ever homered off of,” Sarah Langs of MLB.com tweeted on Thursday afternoon.
Juan Soto's HR came on a 100.6 mph pitch from Edwin Díaz
That's the fastest pitch he's ever homered off of
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) May 12, 2022
He Is Still A Productive Hitter Despite The Lack Of Talent Around Him
Soto, who finished as the runner-up in the 2021 NL MVP voting behind Bryce Harper, is playing on a lousy Nationals team, so his totals will likely fall short of recent seasons’ numbers.
The most problematic thing about the lack of talent on the Nats is that, in the absence of talented hitters, opposing pitchers won’t feel the need to pitch to Soto.
They will nibble around the strike zone and pitch a lot of balls and precious few strikes.
But Soto, while not as sharp as in years past yet, is still inflicting a lot of damage with the bat.
After Thursday’s game, he is hitting .264 with a .395 OBP, 23 runs, eight home runs, 11 RBI, three stolen bases, and a .907 OPS.
That’s not bad for someone who is expanding the zone.
NEXT: MLB Insider Discusses How Juan Soto Is Trying To Do It All