Juan Soto’s Mets career had not gotten off to a blistering pace after signing the richest contract in MLB history over the winter to jump from the Bronx to Queens, but fan support has helped him get out of it.
After hitting just .221 through his first 19 games with the club, Soto received a standing ovation from the Citi Field fanbase before his first at-bat on Friday night and has since responded.
The superstar right fielder went 5-for-his-last-10 since the standing ovation, including a 2-for-3, three-RBI showing in Sunday’s four-game sweep-clinching win over the St. Louis Cardinals.
“It’s a great feeling when you have the fanbase supporting you when you’re doing bad, when you’re doing good,” Soto said. “It’s just great. I really appreciate what they did. I feel like they don’t know how meaningful that is. It means a lot to the players when they do that. It’s really special.”
Perhaps the most glaring example that Soto is starting to come around came in the eighth inning on Sunday, when he lined a 106.9 mph double the other way into the left-center-field gap to score a pair of runs and break the 7-4 win open.
It is something that Soto does when he is at his best — and something that has become commonplace in the 26-year-old’s already-brilliant career.
“When you see him driving the ball the other way with authority, the way he did with that double in the gap, that’s a good sign,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “When he’s going good, that’s the A-swing there.”
Everything is going good for the Mets as they enter a big three-game set on Monday night at Citi Field against the Philadelphia Phillies. They just completed their first four-game sweep of the Cardinals for the first time since April of 1986 and they are 9-1 at home this year.
“This crowd has been unbelievable day in and day out,” Soto said of the Queens faithful. “I really love the support. They’ve been great since day one, so thank you.”
