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

Modified Mar 29, 2025 10:36 GMT

MLB: New York Mets-Press Conference - Source: Imagn — Mets superstar Juan Soto (left) with manager Carlos Mendoza (right) (Imagn)

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.

Expand Tweet

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.

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

Know More

Edited by Ruth John S