Baseball fans Opening Day is always exciting and the Mets vs Astros game definitely delivered some drama! All eyes were on Juan Soto making his big debut in Queens. Everyone was waiting to see if he could deliver right away especially with that massive contract. Well things got interesting real fast.
Soto Steps Up in the 9th But Baseball Can Be Cruel Sometimes You Know?
The whole game on Thursday was kind of a pitcher's duel. Astros pitcher Framber Valdez was dealing and Mets starter Clay Holmes well he had a bit of a rougher time. Going into the ninth the Astros were up 3-1. Seemed like the Mets offense was mostly quiet except for one guy: Juan Soto.
Then in the ninth inning things got crazy. Astros brought in their closer Josh Hader a serious All-Star. But the Mets started getting on base! Singles walks bases loaded all of a sudden. And guess who's coming up to bat with the game on the line? Juan Soto. Talk about a movie moment.
Lindor hit a sac fly to make it 3-2. Tying runs were on base. Soto at the plate. You could feel the tension even watching at home. Soto being Soto worked the count full 3-2. Hader throws and... strikeout. Game over. Astros win 3-1. Bummer for the Mets and for Soto's big moment but man was it exciting.
So Close Yet So Far: Mets Rally Falls Short Despite Soto's Efforts
Even though the Mets lost it wasn't all bad. Soto actually had a pretty good first game as a Met before that last at-bat. He already got on base three times earlier in the game with a single and two walks. He showed patience at the plate and got himself into scoring position multiple times. It's just that baseball can be a tough game. Sometimes even the best players don't come through every single time.
Mets pitcher Clay Holmes said it best "I think everybody was like ‘Man let’s get Juan up and see what happens.’ And we were able to do it.” They got Soto up there in the big spot. That's what you want. It just didn't go their way this time.
And hey it is only one game right? Remember last year when the Mets lost like their first five games? Then they had a pretty awesome season. This year's team with Soto in the lineup has a real shot at being good. One Opening Day loss isn't gonna change that.
Opening Day Takeaways: Soto is Human Mets Show Fight and Plenty More Baseball to Come
Okay so what did we learn from this first Mets game?
- Juan Soto is Human (But Still Really Good): Even $765 million contracts don't guarantee a walk-off hit every time. But Soto looked good at the plate and will have tons of chances to come through for the Mets.
- Mets Offense Needs to Wake Up (Except Soto): Valdez shut them down for most of the game. They need to find ways to get more runners on base consistently.
- Bullpen Can Be Solid: Huascar Brazobán was a bright spot pitching well in relief. The bullpen depth could be a strength.
- Lindor Contributes: Francisco Lindor drove in the Mets only run with a sac fly. He's still a key part of this team.
- It's a Long Season: Opening Day is just one game out of 162. Plenty of time for the Mets to get things rolling.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said before the game that Soto has like 2430 games to play as a Met. That's a whole lot of baseball. This one loss doesn't change the big picture. As Holmes said "At the end of the day if we’ve got Juan up with a chance to win the game anybody likes those chances.” They will get more chances and so will Soto. Get ready for more Mets baseball folks this is just the beginning!