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Juan Soto becomes youngest player since Ken Griffey Jr. with multi-home run regular season game

Zach Pereles

Danny Murphy
Mel Ott
Ken Griffey Jr.
Andruw Jones

That’s the entire list of players in the live ball era younger than Juan Soto to have multi-home run games after Soto, a recent call-up of the Nationals, went yard both in the fourth and seventh inning Wednesday against the New York Yankees.

Both Griffey Jr. and Jones also did it against the Yankees.

Juan Soto went opposite field against Sonny Gray

Soto, signed as an international free agent in July 2015 out of the Dominican Republic, seemed to have popped out in the fourth against Gray. Instead, the ball, which had a launch angle of 45 degrees, just kept carrying and carrying until it found the seats in left field.

The two-out home run scored Daniel Murphy from third and Matt Adams from first, giving the Nationals a 4-3 lead.

Soto then hammered one off Chasen Shreve in the seventh

The first home run barely made it out. The second one was a no-doubter, soaring way over the bullpen in right center.

That solo shot gave the Nationals a 5-4 lead. It turned out to be the game-winner as the Nationals split their two games in the Bronx.

Ken Griffey Jr. and Andruw Jones is some good company

Griffey Jr. had his two home-run day way back on May 30, 1989. Andruw Jones had his on Aug. 22, 1996. Those are the only two players younger than Soto, who is 19 years and 231 days old, to record a multi-home run game against the Bronx Bombers.

Soto has been simply outstanding for the Nationals this season. Called up due to a litany of injuries to Washington’s outfield, Soto homered in his second MLB at-bat and is batting .344 this season. He only played in eight games at Double-A Harrisburg before his call-up, but that, clearly, was all the time he needed. He now has five home runs in 20 games in the bigs.

Washington Nationals’ Juan Soto watches his home run in front New York Yankees catcher Austin Romine (28) and umpire Brian O’Nora uring the seventh inning of a baseball game Wednesday, June 13, 2018, at Yankee Stadium in New York. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
Washington Nationals’ Juan Soto watches his home run in front New York Yankees catcher Austin Romine (28) and umpire Brian O’Nora uring the seventh inning of a baseball game Wednesday, June 13, 2018, at Yankee Stadium in New York. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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