Nationals manager has Juan Soto apologize to teammates after 'embarrassing' play costs team a run
Fortunately for Soto, the Nets earned a close win over the Orioles on Sunday
Lucky for outfielder Juan Soto, his Washington Nationals beat Interleague rival Baltimore Orioles on Sunday with a score of 6-5 (box score).
This is "lucky" for Soto because in the fourth he had what could have been a result-altering mental lapse. Here's a look:
Andrew Stevenson was third for Washington, and he was going on contact with two outsiders. If Soto had been running, he would probably have been safe earlier, which meant Stevenson's run would have been counted. However, Soto probably assumed that the ball was dishonest and did not work. Catchers usually field pop-ups with their backs to the field, as Pedro Severino did here, for the reason that such balls flow towards the fair field, and that is exactly what happened to Soto's lamp.
You can tell from Soto's reaction at first base that he felt he had made a mistake and was quite angry at himself for it. However, such a self-flag was not enough for manager Davy Martinez:
Dave Martinez says he told Juan Soto that not running out that popout to the catcher was "embarrassing for the whole club," then had him apologize to the team.
— Jesse Dougherty (@dougherty_jesse) May 23, 2021
There is no surer path to a managerial doghouse than not running a batting ball, especially when it turns out that you (probably) would have been safe had you run it. A potentially complicated case is that Soto was 0 for 5 at the plate and has been suffering from an electrical drought - at least by his usual standards - since returning from the injured list in early May.
In the end, however, the Nets earned the sweep and handed the Orioles their sixth straight loss.