Juan Soto finding his groove after Mets fans encourage him
Mets outfielder Juan Soto (22) reacts after hitting an RBI double against the St. Louis Cardinals during the eighth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, April 20, 2025 in New York. Credit: Noah K. Murray
Juan Soto says a combination of things unlocked him at the plate during the four-game sweep of the Cardinals, and his season-high three RBIs on Sunday provided the exclamation point for the Mets in a 7-4 victory at Citi Field.
There were a few mechanical adjustments that Soto declined to go into detail about. “Got to keep my secrets,” he said.
But the Mets’ franchise slugger, who hadn’t been feeling like his $765 million self lately, did acknowledge one key element in what he believed was a breakout weekend of sorts. Soto was grateful for Friday’s standing ovation from the fans, the one delivered preemptively as he stepped to the plate in the fifth inning. He responded with the tying single.
“It’s a great feeling when you have a fan base supporting you,” Soto said Sunday. “When you’re doing bad, when you’re doing good. It’s just great. I really appreciate what they did. I feel like they don’t know how meaningful that is. I think it means a lot to the players when they do that. It feels really special.”
Was he surprised by the unsolicited act of encouragement?
“A hundred percent,” Soto replied. “I was like, after my first at-bats [two groundouts], why are they getting up and cheering like that? That’s kind of exciting. I really enjoyed it.”
What more do Mets fans need to hear? Soto already was beating himself up for an un-Soto-like start to his 15-year career in Flushing, and if you read between the lines, probably bracing for the boos.
From a strictly baseball perspective, Soto and manager Carlos Mendoza narrowed his weekend resurgence to a single pitch he fouled back during Saturday’s game, an example of his true “A’’ swing finally making an appearance. The two talked about it after the 3-0 win, which included a pair of hits from Soto, and the a-ha moment seemed to be the launching pad for Sunday’s 2-for-3 day (walk, sacrifice fly, two-run double).
The eighth-inning double was vintage Soto, a familiar snapshot of the generational talent at his most dangerous. With two on and two outs, Soto took the first two pitches, fouled off the next two, then hammered a slider on the outside edge of the plate for a 107-mph double that short-hopped the leftfield wall. Standing at second base, smiling, Soto appeared back at full strength — as did the Mets.
“When you see him driving the ball the other way with authority, that’s a good sign,” Mendoza said. “When he’s going good, that’s the ‘A’ swing there.”
Said Soto: “Every time I hit the ball the opposite way is when my swing is the best.”
Boosted by a big Easter afternoon, Soto’s numbers — so picked apart this first month — jumped considerably (.256 batting average, .821 OPS). Those wild swings are normal for April, of course. But when the player is Soto, who is facing unprecedented scrutiny based on a record contract while straddling two passionate New York fan bases, those early stats carry an incalculable weight.
After Sunday’s win, which moved the Mets to 15-7, you could almost see the pressure lifting off Soto’s shoulders as he joked with teammates in the clubhouse. Having Soto in a good place means great things for the Mets as they saw their offense begin to defrost during the sweep of the Cardinals.
It started with Francisco Lindor, whose leadoff homer into the rightfield second deck on Sunday landed only a few rows away from his walk-off blast Friday night. Lindor is batting .450 (9-for-20) with three doubles and a pair of home runs as the first batter of a game.
Pete Alonso’s two-out RBI single in the fifth inning, after Soto set him up with his hit, upped his National League-leading RBI total to 24. Even the slumping Brandon Nimmo got into the act, snapping a 3-3 tie in the seventh with his own two-out single.
After the Mets were carried by their unheralded rotation and some unsung bullpen heroes, having their billion-dollar lineup start to pay dividends is a welcome sign (their top four hitters each had an RBI in the same game for the first time this season).
Alonso already had been raking, but adding Lindor and Soto this weekend, along with Nimmo chipping in, is what everyone had expected from these Mets.
“Just real professional hitting,” said Nimmo, who directed most of the praise at the top three above him. “Those guys are unbelievable players, unbelievable hitters and just extremely professional at-bats: Staying in the zone, making pitchers come to them and be able to capitalize on mistakes. That’s the name of the game, controlled aggression, and they were able to execute it almost to perfection today.”
Soto was signed in the offseason to be the trigger to the Mets’ offense, and that was on full display Sunday. The loudest applause came after his plate appearances this time, but Soto still recalled the surge he got from Friday’s support.
“You see the crowd getting up and going crazy, it gives you a little bit more motivation and energy, and adrenaline running through your body,” he said. “So you want to get it done.”
Soto was fired up in helping the Mets sweep the Cardinals. And now he probably won’t be cooling down anytime soon.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
