Mar 27, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto (22) hits a single against the Houston Astros in the first inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

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Mets’ $765 Million Man Juan Soto Falls Short on MLB Opening Day

Could have, should have been a fairytale moment for Mets fans...

Mar 27, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto (22) hits a single against the Houston Astros in the first inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Juan Soto’s Mets debut had all the makings of a storybook moment, until it didn’t.

Opening Day in Houston presented the perfect chance for Soto to announce his arrival to the other side of New York with authority. Instead, baseball’s cruel nature reminded everyone just how hard it is to hit a baseball, even if you’re one of the best in the world.

The Mets’ highly anticipated first game with Soto in the lineup didn’t go as planned. Framber Valdez shut down New York’s offense for most of the afternoon, and the team’s usual Opening Day dominance failed to show up in a 3-1 loss to the Astros at Daikin Park.

The Mets, who boasts the best Opening Day record in MLB history, fell to 41-23 in season openers, suffering just their sixth loss in the past 20 years.

ALSO READ: Money wasn’t everything in Juan Soto’s bold Mets decision

Soto, embarking on his 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets, reached base three times, including two walks, but when with the game on the line, he whiffed and came up empty. With the tying runs on base in the ninth inning, he worked a 3-0 count against Josh Hader before chasing a nasty 3-2 slider for the final out.

Josh Hader strikes out Juan Soto to end the game pic.twitter.com/B86sSkzf6D
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 27, 2025

A year ago, Soto was also making his debut as a right fielder for another certain New York team in the same venue, Houston when the ballpark was still called Minute Maid Park, and the pressure was tied to his impending free agency. This time, the expectations are even higher, with a long-term deal in place and a new era for the Mets underway.

Soto acknowledged the missed opportunity but didn’t dwell on it.

ALSO READ: Juan Soto Admits Yankees Were Early Frontrunners Before Choosing Mets

“He just got me in that situation,” Soto said postgame. “We all want to come through in a big spot. We all want to bring those runs in. But I don’t mind taking a walk there—I’ve got Pete [Alonso] behind me, and he’s a great power hitter.”

Had Soto laid off the 3-2 slider, he would have walked to load the bases for Alonso. Instead, his first signature moment in a Mets uniform will have to wait a little longer.

Juan Soto

Mets

Mohsin Baldiwala

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Mohsin Baldiwala is a Master’s student in Journalism and freelance content producer who got hooked on baseball through Seinfeld’s hapless George Costanza. The same reason why he’s a Yankees fan. He writes about sports because he believes it can offer a brief escape from the world’s chaos. Even if that means enduring the heartbreak of the 2024 World Series.