Aaron Boone makes feelings clear on fans' plans for Juan Soto at Yankee Stadium

New York Mets slugger Juan Soto's return to Yankee Stadium for the first time this season was the biggest talking point ahead of their Subway Series clash against the New York Yankees.

Soto, who had a career year with the Yankees last season, broke the hearts of Yankees fans by signing a blockbuster deal with their cross-town rivals in the offseason.

The Dominican slugger's return to the ballpark was the talking point ahead of Friday's series opener, with expectations of a hostile reception from Yankees fans. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he hoped they wouldn't go too far with it.

“It’ll be interesting. I’m sure there’ll be some creativity in there,” Boone said before the game. “I just want everyone to come and have a good time and be safe and not take things too far. This year is unique obviously because of all the news and storylines around Juan the last couple of years, so you understand that ratchets up the intensity of it."

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As expected, Soto was greeted by loud jeers from the Yankees faithful when he walked onto the field on Friday.

Yankees claim bragging rights on Juan Soto's return to Bronx

Although Juan Soto was greeted by deafening boos from the Yankees fans in his first at-bat, he tipped his cap to acknowledge the hostile crowd.

However, Soto wasn't the only former Yankees player returning to Yankee Stadium in Mets' colors. Mets pitcher Clay Holmes returned to the Bronx for the first time since signing a $38 million contract in the offseason.

“Juan obviously was only here for a year, but what he was able to do and what he meant for the team last year was huge,” Holmes said. “He’s across town. There’s people that probably don’t like that.”

Soto was largely kept quiet by the Yankees pitching staff as the Dominican slugger went hitless, driving in a run and reaching base thrice in a 6-2 defeat for the Mets in the series opener.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash