Juan Soto sent a double to the right-field corner in the fourth inning of the Nationals’ 3-2 loss Monday, which extended his active hitting streak to a career-best 11 games.
But his most important at-bat came four innings later, with the bases loaded, two outs and a chance to deliver the Nationals a sweep of the Miami Marlins.
Soto didn’t deliver. The 20-year-old got ahead in the count 2-1, hung in and fouled off the fifth pitch, which brought a look of frustration to his face. He hit a powerful line drive on the next pitch — directly to left fielder Curtis Granderson.