In some way, no one can blame the 19-year old Juan Soto for getting excited after an umpire review gave Ryan Zimmerman a two-run walk-off home run that gave the Nationals an 8-7 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday. However, Soto’s excitement nearly cost the Nationals the game.
The Nationals were down to their last strike when Soto battled through his at-bat against Phillies closer Seranthony Dominguez. Soto slithered in a desperation double with the Nats trailing 7-6 in the ninth. That sequence led to Zimmerman’s heroic home run.
Initially the hit was ruled a double as the ball appeared to hit the wall and bounce back into the field of play. Zimmerman knew otherwise, and after the umpire review it was clear the ball hit over the right-center wall before bouncing back onto the field.
As home plate umpire Gary Cederstrom signaled the home run and Zimmerman started his trot from second to home, a gleeful Soto ran towards Zimmerman. Cleverly Zimmerman warned the teenager to “get away” as he rounded the bases. It’s a good thing Zimmerman did shoo away Soto. That’s because had Soto touched Zimmerman before Zimmerman cross home plate, Zimmerman would have been ruled out for what MLB rules would have considered Zimmerman passing the runner in front of him.
“Get away, Zimmerman said he was telling Soto per Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post. “I don’t even know the rules, but get away.”
Zim the #walkoff god.
That’s his 11th career walk-off homer. pic.twitter.com/wxFqFOhKu3
— MLB (@MLB) August 23, 2018
Zimmerman may not have known the exact rule, but he understood any contact would have been a violation in some way. He later said it would have been “awful” if Soto made contact with him, nullifying the home run.
Nationals manager Davey Martinez understood the rules and said he was screaming the entire time at Soto, per Castillo.
Soto admitted he was excited a little “too much” when the double was turned into a walk-off home run.
Luckily for the Nationals, everything prevailed and they avoided disaster by Soto stopping just in time from touching Zimmerman.
