HOUSTON — Mets slugger Juan Soto sought his teammates’ advice after striking out in the first inning against Houston Astros starter Hunter Brown. The next time he saw Brown, Soto wanted to put a good swing on one of his pitches.
“I asked (Jesse) Winker and … (Brett) Baty,” Soto told reporters after the Mets’ 3-1 win at Daikin Park. “They said he feels pretty comfortable with the cutter up and in. So I was kind of aware of that pitch.”
Soto took the first pitch, a change-up thrown low and outside, for a ball.
He watched a four-seamer up and away fall for a called strike
He fouled off a knuckle-curve that fell down the middle
On the fourth pitch, a 96 mph cutter up and in, he hit 390 feet off the face of the upper deck in right field.
“Pretty incredible,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said after the game. “Not easy to do.”
BUY METS TICKETS: STUBHUB, VIVID SEATS, TICKETMASTER
It was Soto’s first home run in a Mets uniform.
While he acknowledges that home runs “always feel good,” Soto wasn’t feeling any pressure to get his first one in orange and blue out of the way because he knows his team has his back no matter what.
“I think that’s one of the things that’s gonna take pressure off, just thinking about what we can do and what we can be capable of doing as a team,” Soto said. “And I think it takes all the pressure (off) because … we are the New York Mets. We’re not here as the Juan Soto Mets. We are here as a team. So that’s one of the things that helped me out.”
Astros fans have been booing Soto at every chance they’ve gotten in the first two games of the series. He’s responded by going 2-for-6 with a home run and two walks.
“I remember when I was a kid, they used to tell me, ‘if they’re not booing you, you’re not doing things right,‘” Soto said.
Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.
Manny Gómez may be reached at mgomez@njadvancemedia.com.