Juan Soto entered Friday’s matchup with the Cardinals in a bit of a slump.
The outfielder, who signed a 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets this offseason, was hitting just .221 with an OBP of .361 and just three home runs in his first 19 games in Flushing. But it’s not just the statline he hasn’t been able to cash in on.
We’ve seen him strike out with men on base, ground into inning-ending double-plays with the bases loaded, and so forth. It hasn’t always been pretty, but Mets fans showed support for their newest slugger on Friday night.
After Soto grounded out in his first two at-bats, he came up in the fifth inning with a chance to tie the game. After Tyrone Taylor‘s triple plated Brett Baty, Francisco Lindor flew out to shallow right, failing to get Taylor home. Soto came up next with one out and the potential to do something positive. As the slugger made his way to the batter’s box, the Citi Field crowd got on its feet and gave Soto a standing ovation.
Soto took a first-pitch curveball for a ball, and then lined an 84 mph changeup from Miles Mikolas to right field to tie the game, sending the Mets faithful into a frenzy.
The Citi Field crowd rose to its feet as Juan Soto came to the plate.
He delivered with an RBI single. pic.twitter.com/5T6lHu1xFV
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 19, 2025
The RBI single snapped a 0-for-12 skid and gave the Mets new life, which they parlayed into a 5-4 win.
“That’s who we are, that’s who the Mets fans are. We feel it and the other team feels it. I’m sure Juan felt it,” manager Carlos Mendoza said of the moment. “He’s a really good player. We’ve seen it so many times here, especially when they’re struggling.
“We saw it last year with Lindor and he took off. I’m not going to say that’s going to happen every time… It’s good to have that kind of support.”
As Mendoza alluded to, Friday was a scene reminiscent of what the Citi Field crowd did a calendar year ago with another MVP-caliber player. Lindor was mired in one of the worst slumps of his career, batting just .098 through his first 51 at-bats of 2024.
The fans embraced their shortstop, and by the end of the year, Lindor was the NL MVP runner-up and helped lead the Mets on an improbable run into the postseason.
“The crowd is embracing Soto, and I love that,” Lindor said. “He’s going to be with us for a very long time, he’s a fantastic player. I know at any point he’s going to make something happen. Every at-bat, he’s in the moment. You kind of expect it, he’s that good…I’m glad he was able to come through today.
“He picked me up. That at-bat, I popped up and he singled…RBI. It’s passing the baton. I’m happy the fans are embracing him and showing love. He deserves it.”
Despite Soto’s struggles, he is still getting on base and helping his team. He finished 1-for-3 with that RBI single and a walk on Friday, making it the ninth game this season where he had at least one hit and one walk. That’s tied with Aaron Judge for the most such games in the majors.
While Soto isn’t putting up numbers like he did a season ago when he finished third in AL MVP voting, he’s still contributing and the Mets are winning. And the Mets fans know those MVP-type numbers will come — they are willing to wait for them.
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