Carlos Mendoza gives verdict on Juan Soto after $765M superstar records first homer for Mets

New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza was all praises for the newly-acquired star as the Metropolitans defeated the Astros, Friday night in Houston. Soto smashed a 390-foot solo shot to right off Astros starter Hunter Brown, the former's first as a member of the Mets.

Mendoza expressed his amazement about how Soto was able to go yard with the pitch thrown at the latter. He gave his superstar nothing but compliments as the Mets overcame the Astros, 3-1.

"He's a special player," said Mendoza. "He came in and did what he did," he added. (4:10-4:14)

Mendoza spoke to the media at the conclusion of the game and commented on Soto's abilities as a hitter.

"It's pretty incredible. You know, that's not easy to do. You're talking about a pitch that's out of the strike zone and up and in. I think it's a cutter and he's able to turn on it and hit it on a line like that. Amazing." (0:40-0:54)

Soto was criticized at the conclusion of the team's opening game after striking out to Astros closer Josh Hader. However, the superstar certainly bounced back and silenced the doubters with a solid performance in the following contest.

Mendoza's men pulled one back in the opening series of the campaign as their record now stands at 1-1. The rubber match is scheduled for Saturday at 7:15 p.m. ET. The Metropolitans have assigned Griffin Canning to start opposite Houston's Spencer Arrighetti.

New York Mets earns first win of the season

After an underwhelming start to the year, the New York Mets rebounded from the loss and evened their series with the Houston Astros after a 3-1 victory. Starter Tylor Megill had a solid outing, limiting the Astros' batting lineup to one run.

Megill issued just one run on five base hits with a walk and six strikeouts. The bullpen held their end of the bargain after issuing just three hits before Edwin Diaz came in the ninth to close things out. The star closer was spotless in his sole inning as he recorded his first save of the year.

As for the offense, the runs still came at a premium, but it was sufficient to push the visitors to victory. Mark Vientos started the scoring in the second inning with a liner to left that drove in Brandon Nimmo. This was followed up by Jesse Winker who drove in Vientos. An inning later, Juan Soto recorded his first home run of the year and for his new team.