SAN DIEGO — The sold-out crowd came to cheer on Juan Soto in his first game with the San Diego Padres. It was crazy when Brandon Drury hit a grand slam on the first pitch he saw with his new team.
Feeding off the energy of Soto and the crowd, the new-look Padres routed the Colorado Rockies 9-1 on an electric Wednesday night at Petco Park.
The crowd of 44,652 cheered before the game even started, giving Soto a standing ovation as he jogged out to his position in right field in the first inning, and then again when he came to the plate in the end of entry. He drew a walk to start a five-run rally that was capped by Drury’s grand slam.
“It feels really cool. It brings me a lot of emotions,” said Soto, the 23-year-old generational talent whose acquisition along with Josh Bell in a blockbuster trade with Washington shook up both the team and the city. “It’s amazing how they cheered me on. They gave us the energy to come out and play hard.”
Before the game, Soto, one of the best young hitters in the game, said he was happy Bell was included in the trade. The two were flown to San Diego on a private jet Tuesday night.
“For me, I never realized they were going to change together. I was probably thinking to myself,” Soto said. “When I found out he was coming with Josh, we have a great relationship and I was beyond excited and excited that he’s coming and I know what kind of guy he is and what he brings to the table. I’m beyond excited to share another club with him.”
Manny Machado, who has led the Padres most of the season, homered in the top of the fifth and ended the cycle one triple short in San Diego’s fifth straight win. Jake Cronenworth hit a two-run shot. The big beneficiary was left-hander Blake Snell (4-5), who struck out nine in six innings and won his third straight start.
The Padres unveiled their new lineup with Soto batting second and Bell hitting cleanup a day after being acquired Tuesday in one of the biggest deadline deals ever. Drury also came in Tuesday from Cincinnati and added a charge to the already festive atmosphere with a grand slam off Chad Kuhl with one out in the first.
Soto walked, Machado doubled and Bell walked to load the bases before Cronenworth was hit by a pitch to bring in Soto. Drury then drove the first pitch he saw from Kuhl into the left-center seats and the fans went wild. It was his second career Grand Slam and 21st home run this season.
Juan Soto hits a single during the Padres’ 9-1 win over the Rockies.USA TODAY Sports
“I was just running on adrenaline,” Drury said. “The fans were amazing tonight. First at bat, bases loaded, I was just running on pure adrenaline. Really excited to be here. It was really special for me.”
Drury said he went out to stretch 25 minutes before the game “and the fans were going crazy. I was out there warming up and I was pumped, ready to go. It was definitely an amazing day.”
During the pregame batters meeting, Melvin told the players, “It’s going to be like this. It really has been all year. When you get guys like that, it takes it to a different level. We just wanted to let them know that this is going to be a lot beautiful
Juan Soto shares a laugh with new teammate Nomar Mazara during the Padres’ win. Getty Images
“Before I even got on the field it was,” Melvin said. “It felt like the place was packed even before the game started. It was rare.”
Soto singled, walked twice, scored once and struck out twice. Bell had two possessions and scored two goals.
Melvin said Soto “seems to bring some energy. You see him supporting first base with ground balls; there’s a lot he brings to the table. Obviously on base, what he does swinging the bat. The fans he seemed to embrace it very quickly. He’s just one of those guys that has a lot of energy around him and I think everybody felt that today.”
Soto is under contract for two seasons beyond this year and said he won’t think about anything after that.
“I’m just thinking about winning,” he said before the game. “I just come to this club to bring the energy that I have, all the good vibes that I have to bring here, to win.”
As for Snell, he had a third straight strong start. He held the Rockies to one run and four hits over six innings, with no walks. All four of their wins this season have come in their last five starts. After getting just 15 runs in his first 11 starts, he has 19 runs in his last two starts.
Kuhl (6-7) allowed nine runs and eight hits in five innings, striking out four and walking three.