NEW YORK — Greeted by a uncommon standing jeer in his return to Yankee Stadium, Juan Soto stepped out of the batter’s field, took off his helmet, tipped it to the group and touched it in opposition to his coronary heart.
Joking round within the Mets dugout, teammates prompt the animated response.
“I simply did it,” Soto recalled after the sport. “The fellows cherished it.”
After spurning the Steinbrenner household’s fortune for the much more immense cash of Mets proprietor Steve Cohen, Soto went 0 for two with three walks in a 6-2 Subway Sequence loss on Friday evening, his first recreation again within the Bronx since final fall’s World Sequence-ending loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
When Soto jogged to proper area for the underside of the primary sporting vibrant orange wristbands, lots of the Bleacher Creatures turned their backs on him. Some followers chanted “Overrated!”
After Soto caught Cody Bellinger’s inning-ending flyout within the eighth and tossed the ball within the seats, a fan threw it proper again onto the sector, prompting cheers.
“To be anticipated,” mentioned Yankees starter Carlos Rodón, who walked Soto thrice.
Soto made a weak three-hop throw residence on Anthony Volpe’s 243-foot sacrifice fly in a four-run third, then scored after his second stroll, on Brandon Nimmo’s single within the fourth.
Soto had laughed and smiled when the onslaught started. A 26-year-old four-time All-Star, Soto thought it was the worst booing he’s been subjected to.
“You’ve received to embrace it,” Soto mentioned. “On the finish of the day, no matter they provide you, it’s what it’s. You bought to be an expert. You bought to take it as a person. I used to be simply having fun with the second.”
Each groups lead their divisions after the primary of six Subway Sequence matchups this season, the Yankees atop the AL East at 26-18 and the Mets first within the NL East at 28-17.
Yankees followers had needed Soto to stay of their lineup, hitting second forward of Aaron Choose. New York acquired Soto from San Diego in December 2023 and he helped them attain the World Sequence for the primary time since 2009. Then he left the Bronx as a free agent after one season in pinstripes for a file $765 million, 15-year contract with the Mets, a crew with two World Sequence titles to the Yankees’ 27.
Soto turned down a $760 million, 16-year provide from the Yankees, feeling extra appreciated when Cohen included private safety for the outfielder and his household, free use of a luxurious suite and as much as 4 premium tickets.
Yankees followers had been ready since December to let Soto hear their ideas.
“It was loud,” mentioned Mets supervisor Carlos Mendoza, a former Yankees coach. “That’s what makes this place a novel place, too.. I assumed they had been very respectful.”
Soto hit an inning-ending groundout in opposition to Mark Leiter Jr. within the seventh and a game-ending flyout off Luke Weaver that stranded two runners. Cohen had left his second-row seat behind the plate by the seventh inning.
Hours earlier, Soto spoke with former teammates and supervisor Aaron Boone throughout batting apply. He mentioned they had been “displaying the love.”
“It was a reasonably nice setting,” Boone mentioned. “Definitely a kind of nights the place you possibly can actually really feel the vitality within the constructing.”
Mendoza had spoken to Soto in regards to the return earlier this week.
“Embrace it,” the supervisor informed him. “Attempt to take pleasure in it, each second of it, and simply be your self.”
Soto entered with a .255 batting common, eight homers, 20 RBIs and an .845 OPS in 43 video games, down from a .313 common, 9 homers, 34 RBIs and a .947 OPS by means of the identical variety of video games final yr.
He hit .288 with 41 homers, 109 RBIs and 129 walks final season, batting second within the order forward of Choose in a twenty first century model of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Soto hit a go-ahead homer within the AL Championship Sequence opener in opposition to Cleveland and a tiebreaking, three-run homer within the tenth inning that received the pennant in opposition to the Guardians in Recreation 5.
“Juan clearly was solely right here for a yr, however what he was capable of do and what he meant for the crew final yr was large,” mentioned pitcher Clay Holmes, who adopted Soto from the Bronx to Queens. “He’s throughout city. There’s those that in all probability don’t like that.”
Soto obtained his first boos about 1 hour, 40 minutes earlier than the primary pitch, when he went to proper area throughout batting apply, cap backward within the type of Ken Griffey Jr.
“They boo you as a result of one thing occurred,” Soto mentioned. “I preferred it a little bit bit.”
