Juan Soto entered the New York Mets' game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night mired in an uncharacteristic slump. The star outfielder had tallied just three hits over his last 35 plate appearances, dropping his season-long slash line to a very un-Soto-like .225/.368/.408.
That was hardly what Mets fans had expected when their team poached him from the New York Yankees over the winter. And while it was, objectively speaking, way too early to panic about one of the very best hitters in the sport, the vibes were getting a little uncomfortable. Soto didn't help matters, throwing some unintentional shade on his own teammates, while some members of the New York media were wondering when the Mets' $765 million man would start playing like it.
All of which created the potential for some drama on Friday night. New York sports fans have a tendency to get a little ... let's just call it "impatient," after all, and they often feel all too comfortable expressing that impatience in real time. If Soto got off to another slow start in front of the Citi Field faithful, would the boo birds start to come out?
In fact, Mets fans did the opposite — and it just might be the thing that turns Soto's debut season around.
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Juan Soto delivers game-tying hit after Mets fans give him the Trea Turner Treatment
But first, we have to turn the clock back a couple of years, when another high-priced superstar was making a bad first impression on an NL East fan base. Trea Turner's debut season with the Philadelphia Phillies was off to a dreadful start; the shortstop entered August with a .673 OPS, and fans were already calling his $300 million contract a disaster.
But just when the situation seemed beyond repair, Phillies fans got a bright idea: Rather than showering Turner with boos, why not lift him up? On Aug. 4, some 42,000 strong at Citizens Bank Park gave him a standing ovation, and Turner responded by going on a tear for the remainder of the regular season.
Mets fans, of course, are loath to give Philly credit for anything. But hey, it's worth a try, right? So sure enough, when Soto came to bat for the third time on Friday night with the tying run on third base, New York came to its feet. And wouldn't you know: Soto delivered a clutch RBI single, helping lead the Mets to a 5-4 walk-off win.
Juan Soto rewards the @Mets faithful's standing ovation with a game-tying hit! 👏 pic.twitter.com/5pi73pR7KQ
— MLB (@MLB) April 19, 2025
If Soto catches fire from here, it'll more than likely be because he's Juan freaking Soto rather than anything fans or media have to say. But kudos to Mets fans nonetheless; while Soto is accustomed to the New York environment at this point, it's still always good to know that your fan base has your back when you're not playing at your best. No one wants to make good on that contract more badly than he does, and a standing ovation can only help him settle in.