SAN DIEGO — The sellout crowd came to cheer for Juan Soto in his first game with the San Diego Padres. It came when Brandon Drury hit a grand slam on the first pitch he saw with his new team.
Feeding off the energy of Soto and the crowd, the new Padres defeated the Colorado Rockies 9-1 on an electric Wednesday night at Petco Park.
The crowd of 44,652 was pumped before the game even started and cheered Soto when he ran to his right field position in the first inning and then again when he came to the plate in the bottom of the inning. He drew a walk to start a five-run rally that ended with Drury’s grand slam.
“I feel very cool. It brings a lot of emotion to me,” said Soto, the 23-year-old generational talent whose acquisition along with Josh Bell in a blockbuster trade with Washington shook both the team and the city. “It’s amazing how they applauded me. They gave us the energy to go out there and play hard.”
Before the game, Soto, one of the best young hitters in the game, said he was happy Bell was included in the deal. The two were flown to San Diego on a private jet Tuesday night.
“For me, I never realized I was going to be traded along. I was probably thinking to myself,” Soto said. “When I found out I was coming with Josh, we have a great relationship and I was more excited and more pumped because he’s coming and I know what kind of guy he is and what he brings to the table. I am more than excited to share another club with him.”
Manny Machado, who carried the Padres for most of the season, homered in the fifth and finished three short of the cycle in San Diego’s fifth straight win. Jake Cronenworth had a two-run hit. The big beneficiary was left-hander Blake Snell (4-5), who struck out nine in six innings and won his third straight start.
The Padres unveiled their new lineup with Soto batting second and Bell hitting cleanup a day after they were acquired Tuesday in one of the biggest trades of the deadline. Drury was also acquired Tuesday from Cincinnati and charged into an already festive atmosphere with a grand slam against Chad Kuhl with one out in the first
Soto walked, Machado doubled and Bell walked to load the bases before Cronenworth was hit by a pitch to score Soto. Drury then drove the first pitch he saw from Kuhl into the seats in left-center and the fans went wild. It was his second career grand slam and 21st homer of the season.
Juan Soto hit a single during the Padres’ 9-1 win over the Rockies. USA TODAY Sports
“I was just running on adrenaline,” Drury said. “The fans were amazing tonight. First at bat, bases loaded, just running on pure adrenaline. I’m really excited to be here. It was pretty special for me.”
Drury said he came out to stretch 25 minutes before the game “and the fans just went crazy. I was there to warm up and I was like pumped up ready to go. It was definitely an amazing day.”
During the forwards’ meeting before the game, Melvin told the players: “It’s going to be like this. It really has been all year round. When you get guys like that, it takes it to a different level. We just wanted to let them know that this would be very cool.
Juan Soto shares a laugh with new teammate Nomar Mazara during the Padres’ win. Getty Images
“Before we even got on the field, it was,” Melvin said, “It looked like the place was packed before the game even started. It was rare.”
Soto singled, walked twice, scored once and struck out twice. Bell made two plays and scored twice.
Melvin said Soto “seems to bring some energy. You see him backing up first base on ground balls; there’s just a lot he brings to the table. Obviously on base, what he does, swinging the bat. The fans seemed to embrace each other very quickly. He’s just one of those guys that has a lot of energy around him and I think everybody felt that today.”
Soto is under contract for two seasons beyond this year and said he isn’t thinking about anything beyond that.
“I’m just thinking about winning,” he said before the game. “I just come to this club to bring the energy that I have, all the good vibes that I need to bring here to win.”
As for Snell, he had his third consecutive strong start. He held the Rockies to one run and four hits over six innings, with no walks. His four wins this season have come in his last five starts. After getting just 15 RBI in his first 11 starts, he has 19 RBI in his last two starts.
Kuhl (6-7) allowed nine runs and eight hits in five innings, striking out four and walking three.
Add Comment