Mets’ Juan Soto on facing Yankees: It’s ‘50,000 against one’
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One year ago, offseason acquisition Juan Soto was invigorating a New York Yankees‘ fan base that was coming off a 2023 season that saw their team miss the playoffs. On Friday night, Soto will step into the batter’s box as a member of the New York Mets at Yankee Stadium.
Speaking ahead of the Mets’ three-game series in the Bronx against the Yankees, Soto discussed how he expects to be received by the Yankee faithful.
“It’s going to be 50,000 against one,” Soto said about playing in Yankee Stadium in an interview with the New York Post. “They’re going to try to get on me, you know. It’s part of it. Whatever they do, they have a right to do it.”
Soto signed a record-breaking, 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets in December after helping the Yankees reach the World Series for the first time since 2009. In doing so, Soto had arguably the best complete season of his MLB career.
In the 2024 regular season, Soto totaled a career-high 41 home runs and 109 RBIs, while posting a .288/.419/.569 slash line. In the postseason, he totaled four home runs — one of them coming in the 10th inning of the Yankees’ series-clinching Game 5 win over the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Championship Series — and nine RBIs, while posting a .327/.469/.633 slash line.
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But Soto isn’t looking back on his decision to switch teams.
“I made a decision, and I’m happy that I made it,” Soto said about signing with the Mets. “You look around. We have an unbelievable team. And it’s going to be a good team for a long time.”
Thus far, Soto is off to an underwhelming start by the five-time Silver Slugger’s standards, as he has totaled eight home runs and 20 RBIs, while boasting a .255/.380/.465 slash line. Both New York teams are atop their respective divisions, with the Mets 28-16 and the Yankees 25-18.
The Yankees acquired Soto from the San Diego Padres in December 2023 in a trade package that included now-Padres ace Michael King. Soto is on his fourth MLB team: Washington Nationals (2018-22), Padres (2022-23), Yankees (2024) and Mets (present). The Mets won all four of their games against the Yankees last season.
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