Juan Soto and Will Smith had a heated moment during a lopsided game between the Nationals and Braves. The Braves were up six runs in the ninth with two outs left, but the Nationals had the bases loaded. Soto was on deck, and the Braves pitching coach visited the mound to suggest avoiding pitching to him. Soto overheard and reminded everyone he turned down $400 million because he knows he’s elite. Smith chuckled along at first but didn’t seem thrilled about walking Soto intentionally.
Soto stepped in expecting to be challenged, but Smith threw him four straight balls. Soto stared down the pitcher multiple times, clearly annoyed, thinking there would be some real competition. After the walk, Soto jawed a bit, tossed his bat, and walked to first with a grin. He exchanged some words with Smith, who wasn’t happy. As Smith got pulled from the game, Soto called him a crybaby and laughed it off. The dugout tension was obvious, with Soto playing mind games after being pitched around. It turned a blowout into something more personal.