, forJuan Soto didnât just silence the Citi Field crowd Thursdayâhe reminded them why Steve Cohen cut the biggest check in baseball history. In the Metsâ 4-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, Soto launched his first two home runs at home since signing his record 15-year, $765 million contract.
After a quiet stretch that saw him homerless since April 15 and hitting just .241 heading into the game, Soto unloaded a 391-foot bomb to left-center in the sixth inning, then followed it up with a 399-footer in the eighth. Both were solo shots and, ultimately, not enough to drag New York to a winâbut they were the kind of swings that echo.
It wasnât just a power display. Soto went 2-for-3 with a walk, accounting for nearly half of the Metsâ five total hits. The rest of the offense never showed up. Neither did the defense, which coughed up two errors while Arizona played clean baseball and never trailed in the game.
But Soto wasnât interested in the narrative of pressure. Not from fans. Not from media, nor from the mammoth contract that will define his career.
âWhat pressure? I donât have any pressure,â Soto told reporters, per Josh Valdes of Athlon Sports. âIt was just two homers that werenât enough to get the win, so whatever.â
Sotoâs laid-back demeanor might come off as flippant, but it tracks with what heâs been saying since Day 1 in Queens. Heâs credited Mets skipper Carlos Mendoza and the teamâs brass for creating a comfort zone, letting him settle in without the weight of expectations clouding his approach.
Now, 32 games into his debut season with New York, the 26-year-old is slashing .252/.379/.443 with five home runs, seven doubles, and 14 RBIs. Itâs not quite the MVP-level production fans hoped for, but itâs steadyâand trending up. Soto has posted an OPS under .900 just once in his eight-year career, and if Thursday was any indication, heâs about to get hot.
Mets Stay Atop NL East Despite Stumble
Even with the series loss to Arizona, the Mets sit at 21-11âstill 3.5 games ahead of the Phillies in the NL East and just a half-game behind the Dodgers for the best record in baseball. The concern, for now, isnât standings. Itâs keeping the offense from shrinking behind Sotoâs solo acts.
The lineup around him needs to wake up. The Mets had just five hits on the night and never pushed a runner past second base outside of Sotoâs homers. That kind of flat-lining wonât fly in a division that includes Bryce Harper, Ronald Acuña Jr., and a Braves team thatâs still lurking.
For now, the takeaway is this: the contract is giant, the swings are getting louder, and Juan Soto is officially on the board at Citi Field.
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