Nationals’ teen whiz Juan Soto burns Yankees in completion of suspended game

Yankees fall 5-3 to Nationals in the completion of suspended game that began on May 15.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Juan Soto was a Washington Nationals prospect seemingly a year or two away from being big-league ready on May 15.

That’s the day the Yankees and Nationals’ game at Nationals Park was stopped after 5 1/2 innings with the score tied 3-3 due to rain, and then became a suspended game.

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That also was the day that Soto was 3 for 4 playing for the Harrisburg Senators in Bowie, Md., in his sixth game since being promoted to Double-A from the high A Potomac Nationals.

A lot has changed in the last month for Soto, a 19-year-old outfielder who double-jumped to the big leagues on May 20 and almost immediately began challenging Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres as baseball’s most exciting rookie.

The Yankees saw how good Soto already is last week when the lefty-swinging Dominican had a two-homer game in a Nationals win at Yankee Stadium and they saw it again Monday when that May 15 suspended game was completed.

A few minutes after the game resumed with Yankees reliever Chad Green on the mound, Anthony Rendon hit a one-out single to right and Soto followed with a second deck homer to right that was measured at 433 feet but looked way longer.

“One mistake (by Green),” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “A pitch right in his hot zone and Soto got us again.”

That was the difference in a 5-3 Nationals victory over the Yankees.

The Yankees and Nationals will play another game later Monday to make up a May 16 rainout.

The finish of the suspended game led to some strange set of circumstances … such as Tyler Austin driving in all of the Yankees’ runs on May 15, then not being around for the conclusion because he’s been optioned to Triple-A.

Also, Masahiro Tanaka was on the mound for the Yankees for the start of the game and on the DL for the end.

Soto entered as a pinch-hitter for left fielder Matt Adams with a runner on first. Facing Green, he worked the count to 3-1 before crushing a middle-in, 97-mph fastball to right that cleared the Yankees bullpen and landed in the second deck before bouncing up and onto a concourse.

Because this stats count as occurring on May 15, this officially was Soto’s first big-league hit although the Nats apparently have been told by MLB that there will be an asterisk next to it.

Soto has been raking for the Nats, as he’s hitting .316 with six homers and 14 RBIs in 24 games.

NOTABLE

— With the Nats up two runs, Gary Sanchez ran the Yankees out of an inning when he was doubled off second base on Didi Gregorius’ lineout to left after hitting a one-out double. “That’s a bad read,” Boone said. “It’s as simple as that. Off the bat it looked like it could have been a hit, but still that’s a play where you know where everyone is and you know the situation. Just a bad read.”

— The Yanks put the tying run on base in the eighth when Greg Bird hit a two-out pinch-hit double and Torres followed with a walk, but Aaron Hicks ended the threat by grounding out to short.

LOOKING AHEAD

Tuesday: Seattle Mariners at Yankees, 7:05 p.m., YES. LHP Marco Gonzales (7-3, 3.42) vs. Domingo German (1-4, 5.23).

Wednesday: Seattle Mariners at Yankees, 7:05 p.m., YES & MLB Network (out of market). RHP Felix Hernandez (6-6, 5.44) vs. RHP Jonathan Loaisiga (1-0, 0.00).

Thursday: Seattle Mariners at Yankees, 7:05 p.m., YES. LHP James Paxton (6-1, 3.44) vs. Luis Severino (10-2, 2.09).

Randy Miller may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com on Facebook.