$765M Juan Soto's first HR for Mets blows fans' minds

New York Mets slugger Juan Soto registered the first regular-season home run following his record-breaking 15-year, $765 million contract with a towering shot against the Houston Astros on Friday evening. Soto had a solid debut for the Mets the previous night, yet received jeers from rival fans after going down as the final out in their loss to the Astros on Opening Day.

As one would expect, Mets fans went bonkers on social media after Juan Soto blasted his first home run for the club. Many of their comments were a riposte to all the noise rival fans, particularly those from the New York Yankees, had made after their loss to the Astros.

The Mets had already posted a 2-0 lead over the Astros on Friday when Soto stepped into the batter's box for his second at-bat of the game. He went to the plate in the top of the third inning with two outs and the bases empty. Meanwhile, right-hander Hunter Brown was on the mound, and he had struck the southpaw slugger out in the first inning.

Brown built a 1-2 count in his favor against the hitter when he delivered a 96 mph four-seam fastball just over the inside corner of the strike. Soto applied a powerful swing on the pitch to send the ball out of the park before it dropped back into the playing area after striking the facade on the second tier of the right field bleachers.

Mets fans immediately called out their Yankees counterparts on X/Twittter that had roasted the slugger one night earlier:

"Yankees fans right now," posted Ceasar's Sportsbook.

"Incoming 'where the haters at,'" one fan posted.

"Yankee fans were really saying he doesn't look the same," another fan wrote.

Here are some more reactions from Mets fans on X:

"He nuked it!" one fan said.

"No doubter!" another fan wrote.

"15 yrs of excellence started tonight," a fan commented.

As per Google Statcast, Juan Soto's home run traveled 390 feet with an exit velocity of 107.3 mph.

Josh Hader is one of the best closers in the league: Juan Soto

Juan Soto hits a career-high 41 home runs for the Yankees last year (Image Source: IMAGN)

Soto will undoubtedly be delighted to have hit a home run for the Mets in the very next game after he came up short against Astros closer Josh Hader on Thursday evening. Soto had an opportunity to tie or even give his team the lead with runners on the corners, but he was eventually struck out looking in a masterful pitching performance from the left-handed Hader.

“I mean he's a closer. He's one of the best closers in the league," Soto told reporters postgame. "I think his stuff is nasty, everything he does, he's really smart on the mound. So I think that's why he's still being so effective.

“I was expecting to be up in that moment that situation. He let the ball go on that last pitch and he got me on that one. It was a pretty good pitch down and away," he added. "I was expecting his best pitch. His best pitch is a fastball. I was sitting on a fastball.”

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The New York Mets conclude their three-game series against the Houston Astros on Saturday. They then have a rest day before they start another three-game series on the road against their division rivals Miami Marlins on Monday.