Mets manager Carlos Mendoza gives honest opinion on Juan Soto’s outing amidst boos at Yankee Stadium

Juan Soto and the New York Mets fell to an 8-2 defeat against the New York Yankees in Sunday's series decider at Yankee Stadium. It wasn't a great return to the Bronx for Soto amid a hostile reception from the Yankees faithful.

The All-Star outfielder had a memorable one-season stint with the Bronx Bombers, helping them to the World Series in 2024. However, he signed for cross-town rivals on a record-breaking deal after turning down a lucrative contract offer from the Yankees.

Soto was booed by a hostile Yankees crowd in his plate appearances and it seemingly impacted his performance as the Dominican went 1-for-10 on his return to the ballpark.

Mets' manager Carlos Mendoza addressed Soto's underwhelming performances in the Subway Series and how the All-Star slugger "embraced" the hostility. He said after Sunday's loss:

"I said it before the game, he embraced it. He knew what was coming and he didn't change. You know, even though today was pretty much the only game in which we didn't see the results, in the past couple of games, he was on base. You just got to get credit to their pitching staff, especially guys like Max Fried today.

"But overall, I thought he handled it well; this is nothing, probably. This loud may be new, but he's an elite player; only elite players get booed everywhere they go. I'm pretty sure Boston's gonna be loud. I don't think it's going to be as loud as they were here, but he'll hear it."

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Soto went 0-for-3 in the series finale on Sunday as the Yankees took the bragging rights in the first leg of their clash this season.

Carlos Mendoza addressed "respectful" sentiments for Juan Soto

Juan Soto expected hostility from the Yankees fans ahead of the Subway Series and knew what was in store for him after boos rand around the ballpark in his first plate appearance in the series opener on Friday.

Carlos Mendoza believed the Yankees fans were within their rights and didn't cross the line in making their feelings known for Juan Soto.

“I thought they were very respectful and that’s what you want,” Mendoza said. “You can boo all you want and all that, as long as they’re not crossing the line. It was loud.”

While the Yankees improved to 27-19 after the series win the Mets fell to 29-18 with their lead cut down to half a game over the Philadelphia Phillies (28-18) in the NL East.

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