HOUSTON — Juan Soto might need come up quick within the ninth inning of his first recreation with the Mets, however there was nothing quick about his 390-foot house run Friday evening.
His first in a Mets uniform that truly counts, the celebrity slugger teed off on a 1-2 cutter from Houston Astros’ right-hander Hunter Brown, sending it over the suitable area fence to assist his new workforce win, 3-1.
Every little thing the Mets (1-1) couldn’t do on Opening Day, they did the day after.
“He’s Juan Soto, he’s going to come through more times than not,” mentioned supervisor Carlos Mendoza.
The house run helped the Mets achieve some separation over the Astros (1-1). They took two off Brown within the second inning, however after Soto’s homer made it 3-0, the Mets’ bats have been successfully quieted. It didn’t matter although, as a result of Soto’s shot proper down the road was virtually loud sufficient to be heard in area. It was a tricky pitch, a 96 MPH cutter proper above the zone, however Soto turned on it and knew it was gone instantly.
“I was hunting something up there,” Soto mentioned. “So for me, I just saw it and hit it. I wasn’t looking at the speed or anything, I just feel like I saw it really well. Even when it was 96, I saw it really well. I followed my plan and just trusted it.”
Proper-hander Tylor Megill confronted the minimal by way of three innings earlier than giving up a run within the fourth. Nevertheless, he stopped a rally earlier than it began with two strikeouts. Within the fifth, he used his sinker to get a double-play. The pitch choice and execution confirmed development.
“That’s kind of what the pitch is utilized for — just get the ball in play and let the defense work,” Megill mentioned. “Before, I used to be going predominantly four-seam to get fly outs or whatnot, but [the] sinker really allows the ball to get in the infield, hit to a position player and an opportunity to turn two.”
Megill confronted two batters within the sixth, with Jake Meyers reaching on a wild pitch and Jose Altuve reaching on a single. Regardless of getting forward on each hitters, the Mets took no probabilities and introduced in right-hander Reed Garrett from the bullpen.
“When he got in trouble when they scored that run, I thought he kept making pitches,” Mendoza mentioned. “He settled in nicely and limited damage, which is something that we also want to see.
The Astros made Garrett work. He fell behind on Isaac Paredes before striking him out, but then he walked Alvarez on the seventh pitch of the at-bat to load the bases with only one out. From there, he settled in, striking out Christian Walker and getting Yanier Diaz to pop up on the second pitch of the at-bat.
“He went out and shoved it,” Megill mentioned of Reed’s outing.
Brown had simply gotten out of his personal jam within the high of the inning to finish his outing. With two on and none out, Brandon Nimmo hit right into a 4-3 double play, and Mark Vientos hit a fly ball to middle area for a simple out.
It was a stable begin for Megill. With accidents decimating the Mets’ beginning rotation, the Mets are counting on Megill as soon as once more to make some large begins early within the season. For his half, Megill is simply hoping to stay within the large leagues after three seasons of accidents and inconsistencies.
If he builds on this begin, the Mets will definitely maintain him round. Megill held the Astros to 1 earned run on three hits. He walked one and struck out six whereas utilizing 77 pitches over 5 innings (plus two batters). Walks have been his downfall since 2022, however he managed to throw strikes and get himself out of bother when confronted with dangerous counts and affected person hitters.
“I thought he was really good,” Mendoza mentioned. “Early on he was attacking and they hit some balls hard, but that’s what we’re asking him to do — throw strikes and stay on the attack.”
Brown gave up three runs (two earned) on 4 hits whereas strolling three and hanging out seven. The house run to Soto was an excellent pitch, however hung up above the zone in a foul location. As Brown began his windup, AppleTV+ put a chyron on the display screen displaying the chances Soto would homer in that at-bat: a 3% probability.
Soto has made a profession out of defying the chances on the plate. A member of the 2019 Washington Nationals workforce that defeated the Astros within the World Collection, he’s been booed relentlessly during the last two video games in Houston. Putting out with an opportunity to win the sport in Thursday’s opener wasn’t precisely how he pictured introducing himself to a brand new fanbase, however Soto made up for it with an early house run that gave the pitching employees simply sufficient of a lead for them to breathe.
A.J. Minter, Ryne Stanek and nearer Edwin Diaz held Houston off the remainder of the best way, with Edwin Diaz changing his first save of the season.
“We’re the New York Mets, we’re not the Juan Soto Mets,” Soto mentioned. “We’re here as a team.”
A workforce win, thanks, largely, to Soto.
Initially Printed: March 28, 2025 at 11:08 PM EDT
