See it: Juan Soto homers in first spring training at-bat with Mets

Watch Juan Soto launch his first home run in a Mets uniform during the first inning of his spring training debut.

John Sparaco | Feb 22, 2025

Feb 22, 2025; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (22) hits a home run in his first at bat for the Mets against the Houston Astros in the first inning at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

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Juan Soto could not have made a louder statement during his first at-bat in a New York Mets uniform.

The wait was short for the lefty slugger, who was slotted into the No. 2 spot in the lineup between Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso for the Mets' spring training opener. With one out in the bottom of the first inning, the superstar outfielder launched a 2-1 pitch from left-hander Colton Gordon over the left-center field wall, giving his team an early 1-0 lead.

GET USED TO IT. pic.twitter.com/nnyapYCypB
— New York Mets (@Mets) February 22, 2025

According to Statcast, Soto's home run traveled 426 feet and came off his bat at 106.2 mph.

Soto, 26, picked up right where he left off in 2024. In his lone season with the New York Yankees, he batted .288/.419/.569 and set a career-high with 41 home runs in the regular season, before helping the team reach its first World Series appearance since 2009.

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After the Yankees lost the Fall Classic to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games, Soto joined the crosstown-rival Mets on a 15-year, $765 million deal in free agency, setting a new record for the largest contract in professional sports history.

With such a contract comes immense expectation, particularly when playing for a fan base that has been hungry for a championship since 1986. Though the Mets have not made a World Series appearance since 2015, they came close last season, pushing the Dodgers to six games in the NLCS.

Despite this, Soto does not feel pressure to be "the guy" who bridges the gap and carries his new team to a title.

“I never said I could be the guy,” Soto said during his first presser of the spring. “You need a whole team to go all the way. When you look around, teams that win the World Series have really good players with youth and everything. I think it takes more than one guy.”

When asked how his team could handle the pressure of playing in New York, he offered a simple, two-word response:

Juan Soto was asked about how to deal with pressure in New York:

"Winning games." pic.twitter.com/KMPeArqgPj
— SNY (@SNYtv) February 16, 2025

While the final scores of spring training games may not matter, Soto certainly made a strong first impression.

In his second at-bat of the spring, Soto came up with the bases loaded and drove in a run with a fielder’s choice, giving the Mets a 3-0 lead in the second inning. He finished the day 1-for-2 with two RBIs and was replaced in right field by Alex Ramírez in the top of the fourth, as the Mets began pulling their starters.

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