CNN
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Juan Soto made his emotionally charged return to Yankee Stadium on Friday, where Booing and his new team, the New York Mets, succumbed to a 6-2 defeat against his oldest team, the New York Yankees.
Yankee Stadium shook with thousands of echoing boos as Soto stepped up for his first batting in the first innings. He simply smiled, took off his helmet and shook it towards the crowd before walking to the plate.
At the bottom of the first inning, the bleacher creature known as the Yankees’ most dedicated fan turned his back towards Soto as he jogged into the field on his right. Some have lifted signs, while others wear t-shirts.
And in the eighth, Soto caught Cody Bellinger’s end-of-inning flyout and threw the ball into the crowd at the celebration, and the fans quickly put it back on the pitch, delighting everyone around them.
“Was that the worst you’ve ever been booed?” a reporter asked him after the match.
“I think so,” replied Soto. “They’re really loud.”
“It’s just another game,” he added. “It’s really uncomfortable that we didn’t get a win. I don’t focus on it at all. You have to focus on the game, be a professional, try to win the game. You lost the game, but there are two more to win the series.”
“I just enjoy (booing) and I don’t think it would affect me at all.”
But in the end, Soto couldn’t influence the game beyond the crowd booing as the Mets lost their first matchup in the 3-game series. He finished 0-2 with three walks and runs.
After a horrifying partnership with Judge Aaron last season, Soto helped push the Yankees to the World Series, but left last December to join Crosstown’s rivals and signed a historic 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets.
His return to Yankee Stadium was constantly indicted. The Mets knew that such a response would come. Their manager, Carlos Mendoza, said a few days before the match, “To embrace it, to have it, to enjoy it,” he told reporters after Friday’s defeat.
“I thought (the crowd) was very respectful. That’s what you want. You can boo everything you want, but as long as you’re not crossing the line,” he added. “I thought (Soto) handled it really well. I thought that’s why this guy is him, the elite, his personality is off the charts.”
Still, without Soto, the Yankees scored four runs in three innings, giving them a comfortable lead they never gave up.