"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you" - Looking back at iconic words from Juan Soto after Washington Nationals defeated Houston Astros in 2019, earning 1st World Series title

The San Diego Padres have their sights firmly set on a maiden World Series crown after winning the Juan Soto sweepstakes this summer. The only thing that’s left to find out is whether that dream is realized this year, or in the years to come.

Winning the holy grail may be unchartered territory for the Padres, but it certainly isn’t for Soto. Three years back, the Washington Nationals won the World Series for the very first time. That scintillating run wouldn’t have happened without the prodigious talent of the then-20-year-old Soto.

The Nationals defeated the Houston Astros to cap off a historic campaign and win the 2019 World Series. While success is primarily driven by performance, faith also plays a big role for certain players, and Juan Soto is one of them.

Juan Soto hits a solo home run against the Houston Astros during the fourth inning in Game One of the 2019 World Series at Minute Maid Park on October 22, 2019

Soto could be spotted kneeling and praying on the field before games numerous times throughout the season. He hit a home run in Game 1 against Houston, becoming only the fourth player under the age of 21 to homer in a World Series game.

As the Nats closed in on the World Series, Soto explained back then that he and his family had asked the Almighty for help. In a statement to CNS News, he said:

"We just prayed before the game. And we told Him that we just need His help. You know, go help, and right now and get the opportunity and just, get on it."

Soto posted a biblical verse on Instagram after homering to help the Nats beat the Dodgers in the playoffs. The post read:

"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you James 4:10"

Soto has, time and again, credited God for the success he has had. Since winning the World Series, Soto’s stock has only kept rising, to the point that the Nats offered him MLB’s most lucrative contract to date in a failed bid to make him stay.

Soto also won the Home Run Derby earlier this year, beating Seattle Mariners rookie sensation Julio Rodriguez.

"It's a blessing from God, to be here in the big leagues and play baseball like I have. I never thought I'd be this talented of a player."

Can Juan Soto inspire the San Diego Padres to similar success?

For the 2019 Nats, it wasn’t all about faith or Juan Soto. Without the likes of Anthony Rendon and Victor Robles, the Nats wouldn’t have made it that far.

Faith in God continues to play a big part in Soto's life.

For the Padres to repeat that success, their entire unit needs to step up. Soto himself needs to up his game, since it hasn’t been his best year in terms of performances. Josh Bell and Manny Machado need to deliver, too.

The Padres are postseason-bound as the National League’s second Wild Card team. For them to take matters any further, both performance and faith need to come together in harmony to deliver success. Just like it did for Juan Soto and the Nats three years ago.

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