Juan Soto homers in first at-bat with Mets in win over Astros

Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News on Feb 22, 2025

Published in Baseball

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PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Some hitters have a hard time finding their timing at the start of spring. Juan Soto is not just some hitter.

The star outfielder who signed a 15-year contract with the Mets over the winter drove a 2-1 fastball from left-hander Colton Gordon over Clover Park’s center field fence in his first at-bat in a Mets uniform on Saturday. It was only the Grapefruit League opener, but fans celebrated like it was Game 7 of the World Series, showing just how great of an impact Soto has made on his new team already.

“With all of the teams I’ve been on, I definitely try to bring the vibes and bring the good energy,” Soto said after going 1 for 2 with two RBI against the Houston Astros. “For me, everybody knows who you are and everything, but they’ve got to really see it with their eyes to see what they’ve been talking about.”

A crowd of 7,394 exploded in excitement. It was the second-largest crowd for a spring opener since the Mets moved to Port St. Lucie in 1988, with just all of them on their feet as Soto rounded the bases.

“It just feels like the more people that are watching, the more that’s at stake, that’s already when you want Juan in the box, and he does special things,” said right-hander Clay Holmes, his former Yankees teammate last season. “It was one of those things where in the back of my mind, I’m like, ‘Man, I would not be surprised if he does something here.’ So it’s cool to see. And that’s just him.”

It’s only spring training so we pump the breaks on any hyperbole. The homer came off of a 26-year-old left-hander who has a total of 24 games in Triple-A. Gordon might be a highly-rated prospect in Houston’s system, but Justin Verlander he is not.

Still, it’s hard to ignore the feeling around the team with the addition of a generational hitter and a true superstar like Soto. His signing was a seminal moment in team history that marked a changing of the tide in the New York City market, and the excitement is only going to grow as we inch toward the start of the 2025 season.

“Look, it’s pretty incredible,” said manager Carlos Mendoza. “Having the ability to turn the switch like that, you put a different guy on the mound with a different uniform, and he’s just locked in. Regardless of the results, it was a different guy in the box today.”

Gordon got him to swing through a 2-0 fastball right before the home run. Soto didn’t miss the second time. It was obvious that even in spring training, Soto was ready to do some damage.

“When he swung through that fastball you just saw his demeanor on the box,” Mendoza said. “Then obviously, he goes out there and hits that homer.”

Soto hasn’t always been hot right out of the February gate like he was in the Mets’ 6-2 win. It might be tough to believe that a hitter like him could ever struggle, but in the past, he has struggled with timing at the plate in early spring games. Sometimes spring performances translate into the regular season and sometimes they don’t. For a natural hitter like Soto, it’s more about seeing the ball and getting into the speed of the game than actual results.

Over the last three years, Soto made adjustments in his offseason workouts to be able to produce earlier in spring. They worked last season, and his home run validated the strategy this year as well. The 26-year-old four-time All-Star is coming off of a 41-homer season with the Yankees, so whatever he’s doing, it’s working.

“I just worked smarter,” Soto said. “In the past, I’ve worked a lot putting a lot of effort in the off season, but I always get off slow in spring training. So I think this year, the past two, three years, I’ve been working smarter, working on more specific things and trying to do what I needed to do, instead of doing a lot of things.”

Holmes threw three perfect innings with three strikeouts. Francisco Lindor and Francisco Alvarez also drove in runs for the Mets, and catcher Luis Torrens went 2 for 2 with a run scored. Left-hander Danny Young allowed one run in one inning and struck out one. Justin Hagenman, who will provide starting pitching depth for the Mets at the Triple-A level, tossed two scoreless frames.

Soto will have Sunday off with the Mets not yet playing their regulars in back-to-back games, but his first appearance with his new team will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression.

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