Nats finally play, top Braves 6-5 on Soto's walk-off in 9th

WASHINGTON (AP) — Juan Soto drove in the winning run with a single on a 3-0 pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday, lifting the coronavirus-depleted Washington Nationals to a 6-5 comeback victory over the Atlanta Braves after waiting five days to start their season.

Lefty reliever Will Smith entered for the ninth and promptly gave up a single to new leadoff hitter Victor Robles, then hit Trea Turner with a pitch. That brought up Soto, the 2020 NL batting champion who went into this pivotal at-bat 0 for 4 on Tuesday.

But Soto delivered a line drive to center field, then tossed his red helmet high in the air before being mobbed by teammates who sprinted from the home dugout to meet him near second base, jumping and shouting and dousing him with water.

Chants of “MVP!” rang out from an announced crowd of 4,801 — the first spectators allowed at Nationals Park since Game 5 of the 2019 World Series.

The game did not start auspiciously for the Nationals.

Max Scherzer's first pitch of 2021 was hammered by Ronald Acuña Jr. for the first of four homers the Braves hit off the three-time Cy Young Award winner.

Two batters after Acuña drove a fastball out to left, admiring it for a bit before chucking his bat, Freddie Freeman took a curveball deep to right to make it 2-0. Dansby Swanson homered leading off the second, and Acuña connected with a slider to open the third.

All of 39 pitches in, and the Braves had scored four runs off Scherzer — all via homers.

That was one more run through 10 batters Tuesday than the reigning NL East champion Braves managed to score in three full games combined while getting swept at Philadelphia to begin their season.

Now Atlanta is 0-4; Washington is 1-0.

Daniel Hudson worked around a walk in a scoreless ninth for the win.

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source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Nats-finally-play-top-Braves-6-5-on-Soto-s-16081700.php