A fieldfielder wearing the Nationals' red No. 22 shirt warms up on the right side of the field at CACTI Stadium in Palm Beach on Thursday night, with 26-year-old Mets superstar Juan Soto preparing in the visitors' dressing room. It's not a parallel plane, it's the Soto brothers (Juan and his 19-year-old little league brother Elian Jr.) Elian Soto) competed in the first major league spring training.

In 2023, Elian signed with Nationals as an international free agent, continuing his family's relationship with the capital team (Juan played for Nationals from 2015 to 2022 before being traded to Padres). This year, Juan joined the rivals Mets in the same district on a 15-year, $765 million contract, and the two teams were only 80 kilometers apart from each other, laying the groundwork for a brotherly showdown.

In this season's spring training, the brothers live under the same roof. Juan spent his days off at the National Base to coach his younger brother's outfield guard, while Elian was eager to absorb the experience: "He was always discussing tactical details, like what people thought about the mechanics of swinging the bat," Juan revealed. " After learning on Wednesday that he had been selected for spring training, Elian was so excited that he went to bed three hours early: "I'm going to let time fly by!" "

In the game, Juan started five games and then signed an autograph in the rest area to watch the game; Elian made his spring training debut as a substitute left fielder in nine innings and scored a strikeout with a full swing. At the final whistle, the two hugged each other tightly in the center of the field. "The moment I ran into the field from the left field, I felt my brother's heartbeat," Elian said emotionally.

This isn't the first time the brothers have faced off: at the 2020 National Fan Carnival, Juan threw a giant toy ball, and Elian responded with his trademark "Soto Shuffle" (swinging before hitting the ball) and mimicking his brother's "two fingers to the sky" celebration.

Although Elian has yet to land in the major leagues, Juan's 15-year contract makes the future of NL East Zone Wars full of imagination. "The day he gets on the real track, I'm going to have tears in my eyes," Juan said. Elian had just a 0.180 batting average in the rookie league last year, but this winter he was reborn under his brother's special training: "He trains hard every day, and the new season is bound to transform." "

When the Soto family's baseball genes span age and team logos, this spring training derby is just the prologue to a legend. As Juan puts it: "We've talked about competing together a thousand times, and now it's a dream come true – but that's just the beginning." "