NEW YORK — Juan Soto is ready for the crowd’s reaction, however filled with vitriol it may be, on Friday when he returns to Yankee Stadium for his first Subway Series as a member of the New York Mets.
The crowd, he said on Wednesday, is what he is most excited about.
The reaction should be strong, loaded with heavy booing, shouting, profanity — you name it.
“I don’t mind,” Soto told reporters at his locker after a 4-0 loss to the Pirates.
This is what he signed up for. He stayed in New York City but chose to take $765 million from owner Steve Cohen and play for the Mets instead of re-signing with the Yankees, the team he helped lead to a World Series berth with 41 home runs and a .989 OPS in his walk year. The booing comes with such a deal.
Since spring training, Soto has said multiple times that Yankees fans can “surprise you with anything,” and that he was “expecting the worst.” He said those words with a smile.
People within the Mets say they expect Soto to handle the moment well, attributing their opinion to Soto’s penchant for performing under pressure.
“He just is the same guy regardless of what the moment is, and he’s very consistent in his preparation,” Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said. “He enjoys the moment. He also doesn’t make more of it than it is, and he understands he’s got to keep himself focused and centered. And I think he does a very good job of that.”
Mets starter Clay Holmes — formerly the Yankees’ closer — stopped short of predicting how the crowd would respond to Soto. But he expressed confidence in Soto’s ability to handle whatever comes his way.
“His focus is going to be to put up good at-bats,” Holmes said. “He’s always able to lock it in in those big moments. It’ll be fun to watch him.”
For the first time this season, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza rested Soto on Wednesday, wanting to take advantage of the schedule and give the star right fielder two straight days off. Soto has eight home runs and a .255/.380/.465 slash line through 43 games and 192 plate appearances with the Mets. He will be well-rested for whatever is in store for him in the Bronx.
“He had a really good year with them, went to the World Series with them,” Mendoza said. “It’ll be exciting.”
(Top photo of Juan Soto: Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)