Juan Soto's endgame image back-to-back nights felt like ominous Yankees omen

If you felt like you were watching garbage Yankees deja vu throughout Wednesday evening, the broadcast's director certainly added to that feeling after the final out was recorded.

Both Tuesday and Wednesday, the Yankees struggled to scrap together runs early as their starters fell apart. Both Tuesday and Wednesday, the Yankees rallied late, giving themselves a death rattle of a chance against scuffling Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan.

And, both Tuesday and Wednesday, they couldn't get close enough to make things really interesting, with Gleyber Torres making both final outs, leaving Juan Soto on deck as the lead run (Tuesday) and tying run (Wednesday).

Both times, Soto was shown as soon as the final out was recorded, bathed in the terrifying red light of the Nationals' postgame win celebration, glaring angrily out at the field he'd been unable to make a serious impact.

Yankees' Juan Soto ends up angry in blood red Nationals on-deck circle twice

Of course, Soto's teammates letting him down wasn't the full story of the series. Nobody hit; the Yankees recorded a single knock with RISP, and Soto himself went a repetitive 0-for-4 every single game in the three-game set (though he walked once).

But still, if you're the Yankees down the stretch, you want to maximize the number of times Soto bats in impact situations, as well as minimize the number of times he ends up simmering in anger, fueled by a danger-signaling red light that envelops the entire world around him. Typically best to avoid nightmare imagery straight out of the pages of an acid trip Batman comic book. Definitely best to avoid seeing it twice.

Conventional wisdom still claims the Mets and Yankees will be the main suitors for Soto's services after this season concludes, though the Nationals are thought to be a dark horse. Soto affably held court prior to the series, but was setting a significantly different tone when he was left stranded and helpless to end both losses. Call us crazy, but it doesn't feel like a fantastic sign to see the same image straight out of a nightmare twice in two nights, especially when your whole season (and offseason) hinges on the scorned man at the center.