Jun 6, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Michael Soroka (34) prepares to throw a pitch during the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

Nationals New Starter Finally Puts it Together in Best Start of Season

Originally posted on Washington Nationals on SI
By Jacob Moss | Last updated Jun 7, 2025 7:00 PM ET

When the Washington Nationals picked up veteran starter Mike Soroka this past offseason, they did so in hopes he could provide some stability to the back of their talented but largely inexperienced rotation.

The former Atlanta Braves star had at one point looked like the bona fide future ace for the Nationals hated division rivals, but a slew of injuries ended up derailing what looked to be a very promising career for Soroka down south.

A decent stint for the Chicago White Sox in 2024 gave Washington the confidence to sign Soroka for 2025, and a strong showing in spring training landed him a spot in the rotation.

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Injury issues popped up for the right-hander again at the outset of the 2025 season, though, and as such, Soroka started the new campaign on the IL. Following his reinstatement from the IL, Soroka's production has been a mixed bag.

He's shown flashes of what he could be, but these flashes have largely been overshadowed by his inability to get out of trouble once runners are on board. As such, the team has been anxiously awaiting the game where Soroka is finally able to put it all together on the mound.

The Nationals won't have to wait any longer, though, as Soroka's start on Friday night against the Texas Rangers was nothing short of brilliant.

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The right-hander looked like every bit of the former All-Star he was for the Braves, firing six innings of two hits, shutout ball, fanning seven Texas hitters in the process.

Six shutout innings for Mike Soroka! pic.twitter.com/FGHNljDj8E
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 7, 2025

Soroka's masterful performance on Friday night was by far the best he's had all season, and arguably the best he's had going back to the 2019 season, where he was an All-Star selection.

His four-seamer sat right around 95 MPH for the majority of the game, and he combined that with his devastating slurve, which averaged out at a promising 82 MPH as well.

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The dominant showing propelled Washington to a 2-0 win over the Rangers in the series opener and lowered his ERA to 4.86, which is the first time all year that he's dipped below the 5.00 ERA threshold.

Seeing Soroka finally put everything together on the mound was undoubtedly a massive positive for the Nats. They took a gamble on the veteran to come in and recapture some of his former prowess, and that's precisely what he did.

If he can manager to build on this most latest start over the coming weeks, then he could end up being far more than what Washington originally thought they were getting.

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This article first appeared on Washington Nationals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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