Juan Soto exploded out of the Mets’ dugout, leapt on his method to proper subject and pointed with each arms to the cheering Citi Discipline crowd.
A cameraman awaited Soto within the outfield, desperate to seize the spectacle because the 26-year-old famous person warmed up earlier than the primary inning of Friday afternoon’s 5-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays within the residence opener.
And similar to that, a brand new period in Queens was underway.
The animated arrival kicked off Soto’s much-anticipated first sport at Citi Discipline since he joined the Mets on a 15-year, $765 million mega-deal — the largest contract in MLB historical past.
His signing capped an unprecedented bidding battle wherein the Mets beat the Yankees, Blue Jays, Boston Pink Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers for his providers.
“It’s special,” Mets supervisor Carlos Mendoza mentioned just a few hours earlier than Soto’s residence debut. “Especially after the offseason with all the rumors and, ‘Where’s he gonna go?’ Finally, he’s a Met, and getting to play in front of the home fan base for the first time, it’s going to feel real now.”
A sellout crowd of 43,945 — the ninth-largest attendance ever for a regular-season sport at Citi Discipline — showered Soto with cheers when he was launched throughout Friday’s pregame ceremony.
Nearly all of these followers gave Soto a standing ovation earlier than his first at-bat, together with one waving a Dominican flag. They remained on their toes till Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman acquired the lefty-swinging Soto to come out to second base.
Within the third inning, Soto grounded out to first base.
However when he got here to the plate for the third time, Soto gave Mets followers a purpose to erupt.
Going through left-handed reliever Mason Fluharty within the backside of the sixth, Soto laced an RBI double down the right-field line, scoring Francisco Lindor from first base to offer the Mets a 3-0 lead. Soto would later rating on an RBI double by Brandon Nimmo.
Within the eighth inning, Soto hit a comebacker to reliever Yariel Rodriguez, which became a forceout. Soto then stole second base, the place he was in the end stranded.
Soto completed 1-for-4 with an RBI, a stolen base and a run. He’s now hitting .240 with a .827 OPS this season.
Friday marked the seventh sport of the Mets’ Soto period. He went 5-for-21 (.238) with a house run and two RBI in the course of the Mets’ season-opening six-game highway journey.
Soto’s distinctive mixture of youth, manufacturing and success on the largest stage made him one of the crucial coveted free brokers in MLB historical past.
He entered the offseason on a Corridor of Fame trajectory, having already hit 201 residence runs; received a batting title; earned 4 All-Star picks and 5 Silver Slugger Awards; and completed inside the high 10 of MVP voting 5 occasions via seven MLB seasons with the Washington Nationals, San Diego Padres and Yankees.
He received a World Sequence with the Nationals in 2019 and went to a different final season in his solely 12 months with the Yankees. He’s contemporary off a season wherein he struck a career-high 41 residence runs.
The Mets hope there’s a lot, far more to return.
