April 6, 2021: Juan Soto’s first career walk-off hit gives Nationals an Opening Day win over Braves

Opening Day 2021 finally arrived for the Washington Nationals on April 6. Originally scheduled for April 1, with a three-game home series with the New York Mets, it was delayed because of positive COVID-19 tests.1 All three games with the Mets were postponed, as well as the April 5 opener of a series at Nationals Park with the Atlanta Braves.2

The Nationals had followed up their World Series win in 2019 by missing the postseason in the COVID-abbreviated 2020 season. Between the positive tests and the players who had to isolate as “close contacts,” their Opening Day lineup for ’21 was not what fourth-year manager Davey Martinez had planned when the team left spring training.3

Yes, three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer was pitching, making his sixth Opening Day start for the Nationals. But he was throwing to veteran catcher Jonathan Lucroy,4 who had just been officially signed that morning. The emergency signing became necessary when catchers Yan Gomes and Alex Avila became unavailable because of COVID. Scherzer was also out of his scheduled routine – he was on nine days’ rest; his last game was a spring training contest on March 27.5

The 2020 Braves had won the National League East Division, then lost the NL Championship Series to the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games. So far in 2021, the Braves had played three games – and lost all of them to the Philadelphia Phillies, while scoring only three runs. Lefty Drew Smyly was making his first start of the season and his first appearance for the Braves after signing as a free agent in November 2020.6

Only 4,801 fans were allowed into Nationals Park,7 but that was an improvement over the fanless 2020 season. The Nationals picked a season-ticket holder to raise their 2019 World Series flag before the game.8 The traditional Opening Day player introductions were accompanied by fans’ cheers, the loudest for 2019 World Series heroes like Daniel Hudson (and a few boos for Nationals nemesis Freddie Freeman).9

Nationals fans’ joy at returning to live baseball may have been tempered by the first inning. Ronald Acuña Jr. hit Scherzer’s first pitch over the visitors’ bullpen in left field. One strikeout later, Freeman homered into the second deck to give Atlanta an early 2-0 lead. Fans could be forgiven for a bit of déjà vu – Freeman had homered off Scherzer in the first inning of 2016’s Opening Day in Atlanta.10  

Smyly made short work of the Nationals in the bottom of the first. Víctor Robles flied out and Smyly struck out Trea Turner and Juan Soto, who had led the NL in batting (.351) and the majors in on-base percentage (.490) and slugging percentage (.695) in 2020, his third big-league season.

In the top of the second, Dansby Swanson picked up where his Atlanta teammates left off in the first by homering on a fastball that Scherzer left in the middle of the plate.11 Scherzer began to look more like himself after that, inducing a groundout by Austin Riley and striking out Cristian Pache and Smyly.12

The Nationals got on the board in the bottom of the second. First baseman Ryan Zimmerman,13 in his 16th season with Washington, was loudly cheered as he stepped to the plate to start the inning, a fan favorite returning after opting out of the 2020 season.14 After striking out Zimmerman and Starlin Castro, Smyly allowed a single to Hernán Pérez. Andrew Stevenson reached on an error by second baseman Ozzie Albies.

That set the stage for Lucroy, who hadn’t had a professional at-bat since September 28, 2019.15 He doubled down the left-field line, scoring Pérez and Stevenson. Lucroy tried to take third on the throw home, but catcher Travis d’Arnaud nailed him at third to end the inning with the score 3-2, Atlanta.

The Braves immediately got one of those runs back – Acuña hit his second home run of the day to lead off the third. Scherzer notched two more strikeouts and allowed a single to Marcell Ozuna, but got d’Arnaud to fly out to end the inning.

The Nationals drew even in the bottom of the third. Scherzer lined out, but Robles drew a walk. Turner homered into the visitors’ bullpen,16 tying the game, 4-4. Zimmerman followed with a seeing-eye single, but he didn’t advance beyond first.

The starting pitchers settled in in the middle innings. Both pitched clean fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, including four strikeouts for Scherzer and three for Smyly.

Atlanta took the lead back in the top of the seventh, with reliever Kyle Finnegan in the game. With one out, Riley and Pache singled, then pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval walked to load the bases. Acuña bounced a ball behind the mound – it was hit so slowly that the Nationals’ only play was to get Acuña out at first, so Riley scored. That was all for Finnegan – Martinez called in Wander Suero to limit the damage. Albies grounded out to end the inning with Atlanta up, 5-4.

In the home half of the seventh, Washington loaded the bases with two outs against relief pitcher Tyler Matzek. Like his counterpart, Atlanta manager Brian Snitker switched pitchers with the same result – Josh Tomlin got Turner to fly out to hold the score.

Washington relief pitcher Kyle McGowin walked Ozuna in the top of the eighth but allowed nothing else.

Washington tied the game again in the bottom of the eighth against Atlanta’s fourth pitcher, A.J. Minter. He allowed one-out singles to Zimmerman and Castro and walked Pérez. With the bases loaded, Stevenson hit a grounder between third and short. The ball deflected off the glove of diving third baseman Riley, allowing pinch-runner Luis García Jr. to score. But that was all Washington would get. Lucroy grounded into a force out at home and Yadiel Hernández lined out.

Hudson was charged with keeping Atlanta at bay, hoping for a Washington walk-off in the bottom of the inning. He was up to the task – all he allowed was a two-out walk to Johan Camargo. He did have a close call when Pache’s blast down the left-field line was originally called a home run. The fans near the foul pole waved their arms trying to indicate “foul,” and were satisfied when the umpire’s review reversed the call to “foul ball.”17

Atlanta’s Will Smith opened the bottom of the ninth by allowing a single to Robles, then plunking Turner on the shin. With a three-ball count, Soto saw a pitch he liked and drove it deep to center field, scoring Robles with the winning run.18 Soto threw away his batting helmet and leapt into Turner’s arms before being mobbed by his teammates. It was the 22-year-old Soto’s 314th major-league game and his first career walk-off hit for a 6-5 Washington victory.19

The Braves’ 0-4 start was their first since their 0-9 start in the 2016 season. They did not repeat that – their next two games were a doubleheader against Washington and they won both.

Washington recovered from its COVID-impaired start to pull within 2½ games of the first-place Mets by the end of June. But then injuries took their toll, prompting general manager Mike Rizzo to trade away several players at the trade deadline,20 including three Nationals with key roles on Opening Day: Scherzer, Turner, and Hudson. Washington finished last in the NL East, 23½ games behind Atlanta, which won the World Series in six games over the Houston Astros.

Acknowledgments

This article was fact-checked by Harrison Golden and copy-edited by Len Levin.

Photo credit: Juan Soto, Trading Card Database.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org and viewed the game highlights on YouTube.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WAS/WAS202104060.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2021/B04060WAS2021.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJCxSafqyS8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJSH2lnFSUQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7M7cMOKx8-Q

Notes

1 The initial series of the year was originally scheduled to take place on April 1, 3, and 4 against the New York Mets. Those games were eventually made up over the summer.

2 The April 5 game was made up as part of an April 7 doubleheader, which the Braves swept.

3 Jesse Dougherty, “Nationals’ Opening Day Roster Is Missing Nine Players, but Includes Trea Turner,” Washington Post, April 6, 2021, https://www.proquest.com/docview/2509123635/fulltext/53321D8B24274ABBPQ/1?accountid=189667&sourcetype=Blogs,%20Podcasts,%20&%20Websites. Retrieved December 23, 2024.

4 Jesse Dougherty, “Nationals, Facing a Possible Catcher Shortage, Sign Jonathan Lucroy,” Washington Post, April 4, 2021, https://www.proquest.com/docview/2508149301/B44A7A09CADA4829PQ/3?accountid=189667&sourcetype=Blogs,%20Podcasts,%20&%20Websites. Retrieved December 23, 2024. He was designated for assignment the following week. Lucroy appeared in two games with the Braves in July 2021, which turned out to be the final appearances of his 12-season major-league career. Jesse Dougherty, “For the Nationals, Josh Bell and Kyle Schwarber Can’t Debut Soon Enough,” Washington Post, April 12, 2021,                                 https://www.proquest.com/docview/2511727157/DC56595735C5429FPQ/6?accountid=189667&sourcetype=Blogs,%20Podcasts,%20&%20Websites. Retrieved December 23, 2024.

5Jesse Dougherty, “Juan Soto Sends Nationals Fans Home Happy with a Walk-Off Win on Opening Day,” Washington Post, April 6, 2021. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2509125282/98614F87F70149C8PQ/1?accountid=189667&sourcetype=Blogs,%20Podcasts,%20&%20Websites. Retrieved December 28, 2024.

6 The 31-year-old Smyly was well-traveled – Atlanta was his sixth team in eight seasons.

7 Fans were seated in prearranged small groups in the lower sections, with the seats between the “pods” roped off. Masks were required unless the fan was eating or drinking. Ushers attempted to enforce the mask policy. (Personal experience with attending Nationals games during the COVID protocols applied until midseason).

8 Scott Allen, “Nationals Park Is a Little Eerie but Plenty Cheery as Fans Return at Last,” Washington Post, April 7, 2021. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2509125279/98614F87F70149C8PQ/4?accountid=189667&sourcetype=Blogs,%20Podcasts,%20&%20Websites. Retrieved December 25, 2024.

9 Adam Kilgore, “Baseball Is Back in Washington with a Gift for Nationals Fans: A Normal Day at the Park,” Washington Post, April 6, 2021.

https://www.proquest.com/docview/2509123642/A20D0ACDF5094425PQ/3?accountid=189667&sourcetype=Blogs,%20Podcasts,%20&%20Websites. Retrieved December 28, 2024. In his career with Atlanta from 2010 through 2020, Freeman batted .324 against the Nationals with an OPS 0f .931.

10 In addition to the 2016 first-inning home run allowed to Freeman, Scherzer allowed first-inning home runs on Opening Days to Robinson Canó of the Mets on March 28, 2019, and to Giancarlo Stanton of the New York Yankees on July 23, 2020.

11 Dougherty, “Juan Soto Sends Nationals Fans Home Happy with a Walk-Off Win on Opening Day.”

12 During the COVID-shortened 2020 season, pitchers did not bat in either league. For 2021, National League pitchers batted and American League pitchers did not, using the same rules as before 2020. Smyly ended 2021 with 3 hits in 41 at-bats for an average of .073.

13 The Nationals’ expected first baseman, Josh Bell, was on the COVID-injured list, along with Kyle Schwarber and Josh Harrison. Dougherty, “For the Nationals, Josh Bell and Kyle Schwarber Can’t Debut Soon Enough,”                                

14 Due to the COVID pandemic, Major League Baseball allowed players to opt out of playing in 2020 without violating their contracts. Zimmerman chose to opt out.

15 Dougherty, “Juan Soto Sends Nationals Fans Home Happy with a Walk-Off Win on Opening Day.”

16 “Juan Soto Sends Nationals Fans Home Happy with a Walk-Off Win on Opening Day.”

17 Kilgore, “Baseball Is Back in Washington with a Gift for Nationals fans.”

18 Soto and Smith had some history. Soto had homered off Smith on August 19, 2020. Smith yelled at him for admiring his home run. Soto responded by leisurely trotting the bases. La Velle E. Neal III, “Baldelli: Baseball’s ‘Unwritten Rules’ Should be Unfollowed,” McDowell News (Marion, North Carolina), August 20, 2020: B1.

19 Dougherty, “Juan Soto Sends Nationals Fans Home Happy with a Walk-Off Win on Opening Day.”

20 Scherzer and Turner were traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Gerardo Carrillo, Donovan Casey, Josiah Gray, and Keibert Ruiz. Kyle Schwarber was traded to the Boston Red Sox for Aldo Ramírez.