Juan Soto exploded out of the Mets’ dugout, leapt on his way to right field and pointed with both arms to the cheering Citi Field crowd.
A cameraman awaited Soto in the outfield, eager to capture the spectacle as the 26-year-old superstar warmed up before the first inning of Friday afternoon’s 5-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in the home opener.
And just like that, a new era in Queens was underway.
The animated arrival kicked off Soto’s much-anticipated first game at Citi Field since he joined the Mets on a 15-year, $765 million mega-deal — the biggest contract in MLB history.
His signing capped an unprecedented bidding war in which the Mets beat the Yankees, Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers for his services.
“It’s special,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said a few hours before Soto’s home debut. “Especially after the offseason with all the rumors and, ‘Where’s he gonna go?’ Finally, he’s a Met, and getting to play in front of the home fan base for the first time, it’s going to feel real now.”
A sellout crowd of 43,945 — the ninth-largest attendance ever for a regular-season game at Citi Field — showered Soto with cheers when he was introduced during Friday’s pregame ceremony.
The majority of those fans gave Soto a standing ovation before his first at-bat, including one waving a Dominican flag. They remained on their feet until Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman got the lefty-swinging Soto to pop out to second base.
In the third inning, Soto grounded out to first base.
But when he came to the plate for the third time, Soto gave Mets fans a reason to erupt.
Facing left-handed reliever Mason Fluharty in the bottom of the sixth, Soto laced an RBI double down the right-field line, scoring Francisco Lindor from first base to give the Mets a 3-0 lead. Soto would later score on an RBI double by Brandon Nimmo.
In the eighth inning, Soto hit a comebacker to reliever Yariel Rodriguez, which turned into a forceout. Soto then stole second base, where he was ultimately stranded.
Soto finished 1-for-4 with an RBI, a stolen base and a run. He is now hitting .240 with a .827 OPS this season.
Friday marked the seventh game of the Mets’ Soto era. He went 5-for-21 (.238) with a home run and two RBI during the Mets’ season-opening six-game road trip.
Soto’s unique combination of youth, production and success on the biggest stage made him one of the most coveted free agents in MLB history.
He entered the offseason on a Hall of Fame trajectory, having already hit 201 home runs; won a batting title; earned four All-Star selections and five Silver Slugger Awards; and finished within the top 10 of MVP voting five times through seven MLB seasons with the Washington Nationals, San Diego Padres and Yankees.
He won a World Series with the Nationals in 2019 and went to another last season in his only year with the Yankees. He is fresh off a season in which he struck a career-high 41 home runs.
The Mets hope there’s much, much more to come.
