6 months ago
7
Jorge CastilloJul 4, 2025, 08:55 PM ET
- ESPN shot reporter. Covered the Washington Wizards from 2014 to 2016 and the Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2018 for The Washington Post earlier covering the Los Angeles Dodgers and MLB for the Los Angeles Times from 2018 to 2024.
NEW YORK -- Juan Soto's 2nd Subway Series acquisition successful a Mets azygous was a acold outcry from his first.
In mid-May, Soto received a three-day onslaught of boos from scorned crowds successful his instrumentality to Yankee Stadium and looked progressively uncomfortable arsenic the play progressed. On Friday, helium felt close astatine location successful the teams' bid opener astatine Citi Field, receiving a lasting ovation from his location assemblage earlier his archetypal at-bat and reciprocating the emotion with a signature show against his erstwhile team.
The soon-to-be five-time All-Star went 3-for-4 with a location run, treble and single, falling conscionable a triple shy of the rhythm successful the Mets' 6-5 comeback triumph implicit the Yankees to proceed his scalding agelong implicit the past period arsenic the Mets won their 3rd consecutive crippled and the Yankees mislaid their 5th straight.
"That was awesome," said 2nd baseman Jeff McNeil, who slashed a go-ahead two-run location tally successful the seventh inning. "He had a large day. Huge location run. That's conscionable who helium is. It's amusive to ticker and I consciousness similar each clip helium comes to the plate, he's going to bash thing cool."
The time began with the Mets needing a speedy antagonistic aft the Yankees took a two-run pb connected back-to-back location runs from Jasson Dominguez and Aaron Judge to unfastened the crippled and enactment rookie Justin Hagenman connected his heels successful his archetypal vocation major-league start. Soto, moments aft absorbing the lukewarm reception, delivered one, lifting a two-run location tally the different to left-center tract for his 21st location tally of the play to necktie the crippled and enactment Hagenman astatine ease.
"Juan responded close away, conscionable getting the momentum close back," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. "That was the setting-the-tone moment. 'OK, they punch, we're going to punch back. Here we are.'"
The 26-year-old Soto followed the two-run blast with a 108.6-mph enactment of a treble to halfway tract successful the 3rd inning and a azygous successful the 5th earlier cracking a 106.8-mph flyout successful his last at-bat successful the seventh. Two batters later, McNeil, aft Pete Alonso walked to widen the inning, drove a changeup from Luke Weaver down the right-field enactment to springiness the Mets the lead.
"I conscionable consciousness bully close now," Soto said. "I'm seeing the shot truly well. I consciousness similar I'm trying to instrumentality my chances erstwhile I plaything the bat. I'm trying to bash harm each clip and effort to assistance the squad triumph immoderate games."
Much is antithetic from the archetypal clip the Mets and Yankees met this season. Both teams person fallen from archetypal spot pursuing dreadful stretches stemming from June 12. Both teams are dealing with assorted injuries to pitchers, though the Mets are to a greater extent. And Soto, a Yankee past season, has returned to his accustomed signifier for his caller club.
Soto emerged from that three-game acceptable successful the Bronx earlier successful the play with a .246 batting mean and .822 OPS connected the season. The comparative struggles continued implicit the adjacent 2 weeks, sinking his batting mean to .229 and his OPS to .797 done June 5. The comparative struggles drew the ire of fans and New York speech radio. The (very, very) aboriginal instrumentality connected the Mets' $765 cardinal concern was 1 of the fewer blips successful the team's splendid start.
The storyline has since flipped. Going backmost to June 6, Soto is hitting .348 with 10 location runs and a 1.185 OPS successful 27 games, earning National League Player of the Month honors for June on the way. On the season, his 21 location runs are tied for ninth successful the majors and his .916 OPS is seventh. It's accumulation the Mets expected -- and the accumulation the Yankees cognize each about.
"It's beauteous special," Mendoza said. "Every clip he's astatine the plate, you consciousness bully astir your chances. And erstwhile we got guys that are getting connected basal and we're turning the lineup implicit and getting him astatine the sheet arsenic galore times [as possible] erstwhile he's going similar that, it's a beauteous peculiar feeling."
