Tuesday night Atlanta Braves closer Will Smith refueled his beef with Washington Nationals star outfielder Juan Soto, when he hit Soto in the back with a pitch.
Their gripe may have taken another step or two Wednesday. First, the Nationals wasted no time retaliating, as lefty Sean Nolin plunked Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman in the first. Nolin earned an ejection. But, Soto seemingly hashed things out with Freeman, embracing each other before heading to their respective dugouts.
While that may have been the Nationals plan to handle the situation, Soto took matters into his own hand.
In the seventh inning of a 2-2 tie, Soto crushed a go-ahead solo home run, 432 feet into right center.
Hitting a moonshot to break a tie is an incredible way to respond to Smith’s shenanigans. However, Soto may have taken it a step further. It appears he turned around and blew a kiss in the direction of Smith and the Braves bullpen.
It could be a reach. But, blowing kisses on hostile grounds is savage in its own rights. Yet, from the initial reaction of observers it appears Soto was sending a message to his nemesis.
Meanwhile, Soto contends he was blowing a kiss at fans, not Smith, who were located behind the Braves bullpen.
The Braves host the Nationals Thursday for their final meeting of the regular season. All eyes are sure to be on Smith and the Braves hurlers when Soto comes to the plate. As Terrell Owens once said, ‘Get your popcorn ready!’
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