In his first at-bat as a New York Met, Juan Soto has hit a 426-foot home run, wowing the Spring Training crowd with his other-worldly power after signing his $765million contract in December.
Soto inked the biggest contract in sports history after hearing from several suitors, including the incumbent crosstown New York Yankees.
The 26-year-old chose to move to Queens from the Bronx with the 15-year mega-deal that is already proving to have a positive effect.
Soto batted second in the Mets’ lineup in his spring debut. After Francisco Lindor popped out to start the bottom of the first, it was time for the glitzy new signing to prove himself.
After taking the first two pitches as balls and a swinging strike on pitch No 3 of the at-bat against Astros’ hurler Colton Gordon, Soto saw the pitch he was waiting for next.
Soto drove the ball over the wall in left-center field to the large cheer of the crowd top put New York ahead of Houston 1-0.
In his first at-bat as a New York Met, Juan Soto has hit a 426-foot home run in Spring Training
In December, Soto signed a 15-year, $765million historic deal to leave the Yankees for the Mets
Gordon has been with the Astros organization since 2021 but has never thrown a pitch in an official Major League Baseball game.
Soto, who is as seasoned of a hitter as there is in the world right now, saw the fastball that hung a little too much over the plate out of the ballpark quickly.
Soto was also reportedly pursued by the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, and Los Angeles Dodgers in addition to the pair of New York teams this past offseason.
After playing for three teams already in his career, Soto looks set to stay in Queens with his lengthy deal.
Soto should get at least two more at-bats against the Astros to see if his blistering pace can continue.
Unlike the Dodgers’ deal with Shohei Ohtani where most of his $700million is deferred into the future, Soto will earn massive paydays from the Mets every year.
