Juan Soto‘s night began with a hug.
As he warmed up in the outfield before Sunday’s Subway Series finale at Yankee Stadium, the Mets star shared an embrace, a smile and a few laughs with Aaron Judge.
It was a brief respite from the unrelenting boos and jeers that had followed Soto throughout the weekend.
“I hadn’t seen him all series,” Judge said after the Yankees’ 8-2 win clinched a series victory. “Just kind of wishing him the best, kind of said, ‘Hey man, you’re the best in the game. Things like this are gonna happen. Just keep playing your game.’”
As part of a historically potent one-two punch with Judge last season, Soto hit a career-high 41 home runs and helped lead the Yankees to their first trip to the World Series in 15 years.
But Soto became a villain in the Bronx after he left the Yankees in the offseason for a record-setting 15-year, $765 million contract with the crosstown-rival Mets.
The three-game series over the weekend marked Soto’s first trip to Yankee Stadium in a Mets uniform, and the home fans made it clear how they felt.
In Friday night’s opener, fans in the right-field bleachers turned their backs in unison as Soto took his position in the first inning.
From there, the heckling ranged from modest chants of “overrated” to the much more obscene.
Soto took it in stride, tipping his helmet to the crowd on Friday night and interacting with the right-field “Bleacher Creatures” throughout the series.
But Soto went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Sunday’s loss, capping a series in which he finished 1-for-10 with four walks, three strikeouts, a stolen base and two runs.
“He knew what was coming, and he didn’t change,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Today was pretty much the only game that we didn’t see the results, but the past couple of games, he was on base half of the at-bats, hitting balls over 100 [mph].”
Soto did not do an in-game interview with ESPN as originally advertised, nor did he speak to the media after Sunday’s loss.
But he acknowledged earlier in the series that he had braced for a strong reaction.
“I was ready for it,” Soto said after Friday’s game. “They’re really passionate fans and they’re a little hurt, and they’re going to do the best for their team.”
Three of Sunday’s at-bats, including both strikeouts, came against Max Fried, whom the Yankees signed to an eight-year, $218 million contract in their first major splash after Soto’s departure.
The 26-year-old Soto also grounded out in the eighth inning against Devin Williams, who, too, was part of the Yankees’ offseason pivot.
“It was good to see him,” Judge said of Soto, “but happy we were kind of either [able to] walk him or not let him do any damage.”
The hitters that the Yankees acquired to replace Soto also contributed to Sunday’s win, with Cody Bellinger going 3-for-3 with a grand slam and six RBI and Paul Goldschmidt delivering an RBI single and scoring two runs.
Soto seemed to have some fun Sunday.
In right field, he pointed to himself and shrugged, feigning disbelief that he was being jeered. And when he made a running catch to end the fourth inning, Soto tossed the ball into the Yankees’ bullpen rather than give it to a fan.
Afterward, Mendoza offered some perspective about the booing.
“[Hearing it] this loud, maybe, was new, but he’s an elite player,” Mendoza said. “Only elite players are the ones getting booed.”
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