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The Yankees were surprised by Juan Soto’s decision to sign with the Mets.
The New York Mets never lost faith in slugger Juan Soto during his nearly month-long home run dry spell.
Now, with the slump busted, the team is delivering a strong message to the $765 million star.
Soto homered for the first time since May 9, sending a bullet over the Citi Field fence in the team’s 8-2 win over the Colorado Rockies on May 31. After the shot, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza and teammates said they expect big things from Soto for the rest of the summer.
Juan Soto’s ‘Pretty Impressive’ Homer
Speaking to reporters after the game, Mendoza praised Soto for the power of his 404-foot blast in the fourth inning. The home run was clocked at 109.5 mph off the bat, The Associated Press noted.
“He put a really good swing on it,” Mendoza said. “For him to hit it out of the ballpark like that on a day that the conditions are not in his favor, that’s pretty impressive.”
As Mendoza noted, there was a strong wind blowing in from right field, but it wasn’t enough to slow Soto or his teammates against the league’s worst team.
Just before Soto came up to bat, teammate Brandon Nimmo hit a two-run homer of his own, and said he was still posing for a celebratory picture when Soto hit his shot.
“Francisco (Lindor) and I were doing our picture down there,” Nimmo said. “Heard the sound of the bat and the crowd going wild. We looked out and were able to see him go the other way. That’s when he’s the best.”
Nimmo delivered a confident message on Soto, saying he’s sure the team’s new star player will heat up as the season goes on.
“I think weather’s starting to heat up, we’re flipping the script into June, this field will start to play a little more fair,” Nimmo said. “I think it’s just a sign of good things to come. Great to go back-to-back with him.”
Mets star Francisco Lindor was helping his teammate even before Saturday’s home run. NJ.com reporter Manny Gomez spoke to Lindor on Friday, with the Mets star encouraging fans to get loud in support of him.
“I encourage every fan to come out … and give (Soto) love,” Lindor said. “They’ve done that for me, they’ve done that for other players here. Continue to give him love, he deserves it.”
Mets owner Steve Cohen did something similar for Lindor last year, imploring fans to give him a standing ovation during an early season slump to show their appreciation for all he had done for the franchise.
More Work to Be Done for Juan Soto
Soto wasn’t quite as ready as his teammates to declare the slump officially over, telling reporters he still has more work to do.
“There’s still a long way to go. It feels good, but we’ve got to keep working,” Soto told reporters after Saturday’s win, via the New York Post.
The Mets will now have the chance to close out a sweep of the bottom-dwelling Rockies on Sunday, while Soto will have the chance to build on his slump-busting performance.
Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty
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