It's been well-documented by now, but Juan Soto's move from The Bronx to Queens this offseason was a seismic shift in the baseball landscape and ruffled some feathers in the process.
So when Soto made his return to Yankee Stadium in May when the Yankees hosted the Mets in this season's first installment of the Subway Series, he was predictably booed every chance Yankee fans got.
It might've worked, too, as Soto went 1-for-10 over the three games, often looking timid or uncertain in a series the Mets lost two out of three. It was the beginning of a slump that saw the right fielder's batting average fall as low as .224 due to a disappointing month of May.
Fast forward a month and a half later, on the Fourth of July, no less, for the Subway Series rematch and Soto couldn't have asked for a better go-around.
Down 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning after back-to-back home runs by Jasson Dominguez and Aaron Judge led off the game, Soto stepped up to the plate — to a standing ovation — with a runner on third base and a chance to do damage. Four pitches later, the 26-year-old deposited a two-run shot into the left-field stands to tie the game and send Citi Field into a frenzy.
"Right away, [Brandon Nimmo] gets us going and then Juan responds right away, just kind of getting the momentum right back," said manager Carlos Mendoza. "That was kind of the setting-the-tone moment, like, okay, they punched, we’re gonna punch back. Here we are."
The game turned into a back-and-forth slugfest with the Yankees blasting four home runs and the Mets hitting three — fitting for a July 4th match with no postgame fireworks. Soto did his part, finishing 3-for-4 with a home run, double, two RBI and two runs scored, already vastly different than when these two teams met the first time, to help secure a 6-5 win.
"Any time you come through for the team it’s always great," Soto said.
After a red-hot month of June which earned him National League Player of the Month honors, Soto has kept it going so far in July, hitting .429 (6-for-14) in four games this month. He's now slashing .266/.399/.516 with a team-leading 21 home runs and 50 RBI.
"I just feel good right now," Soto said. "I’m seeing the ball really well. I feel like I’m trying to take my chances and when I swing the bat I’m trying to do damage every time and try to help the team to win some games."
Whatever was plaguing him for the first two months of the season seems to be totally gone at this point. And now the Yankees, like every other team in the majors, will have to deal with what happens next.
As for Soto and what it felt like playing for the Mets in a Subway Series at Citi Field for the first time in his career, the energy was definitely there.
"It’s just great. Great vibes," he said. "I feel like the fans showed up today and showed the love that they’ve been doing since Day 1, so really happy and exciting to play for those fans."
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