The New York Mets are now deadlocked with Philadelphia for first place in the NL East and the top overall seed in the National League after a brief period of difficulty. A club may do it by playing the Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox in back-to-back series.
The Mets’ 8-2 thumping of the nine-win Rockies on Saturday was expected. But the way New York won was noteworthy, mostly because in the fourth inning, Juan Soto smashed his first home run since May 9.
Before this Rockies series, Soto was hitless in four consecutive games, but with the home run, he officially touched base safely in four of his six plate appearances. The fun part is seeing Soto slam moonshots, which is why the Mets spent $765 million to have him transplanted to Queens. We know he can draw walks.
For the 26-year-old, this was a long time coming, but we should have all anticipated it. Soto himself informed us as much.
Following a lackluster performance on Friday, he told reporters, “I know I’ve been struggling, and I haven’t been there for them, but I will be.” “It’s a matter of time, we don’t know when it’s gonna come through, but I’m going to keep working.”
Juan Soto promised results for the Mets, and then he delivered in grand fashion
The four-time All-Star and 2019 World Series champion has had a slow season. Soto was hitting.229/.355/.400 with eight home runs and 26 RBI before Saturday’s game. Not quite comparable to his standing as the most paid athlete in American sports history and an MVP candidate, but certainly respectable for the average Joe.
However, Soto is just 26 years old, and New York has plenty of time to work things out and allow everything to come together. Every player, even the veterans, occasionally falters. We all anticipated this change; even Soto was aware of it and made it public. Anyone who didn’t believe him was either an optimistic adversary or too enmeshed in the Mets’ innate pessimism. Soto has been among MLB’s top all-around hitters for some time now, and the greats always manage to find a way.
Even while his mental state and happiness may have been questioned, Soto’s natural skill was always undeniable. We’ve witnessed him trot to first on groundballs and go through several at-bats without swinging.
Soto is adjusting to his new environment. When a baseball player earns $51 million a year, it’s easy to forget that they are immune to the typical faults of the game. Even the finest athletes, however, need time to get used to a new stadium, new teammates, and a new outfit. Soto has made no secret of the fact that Aaron Judge is not there to defend him. Both fan bases were offended by such remarks, but to be honest, he was learning from them. Trust the process, as they say in the City of Brotherly Love.
For Soto, this seems like a turning moment. Fans of the Mets really hope so. A three-game series against this Rockies squad is the best way to boost morale and get the bat warmed up.
