Juan Soto’s Mets debut had all the makings of a storybook moment, until it turned into a fairytale ending for Yankees fans instead.<\/p>
Calling him a “Choke Artist”<\/em> is excessive. We all know that label won’t age well. But for Yankees fans, who have been drowning in bad news since October 2024, finding joy in the little things is all they have left. This was, what many would say, cathartic.<\/p> Of all the gut punches the Yankees took in the offseason, losing Soto stung the most. They gave up a haul of prospects for a one-year rental, only to watch him walk, straight into the arms of the Mets, no less. And just to twist the knife, Soto was instrumental in breaking the Yankees’ 15-year World Series drought (even if they fell short of the trophy). Then he was gone. To Queens.<\/p> So yeah, Yankees fans had some scores to settle. Every defensive misstep, every off night, Soto will be under the Bronx microscope all season. And moments like today will be replayed and relished.<\/p> To make things even sweeter, the Yankees won their own nail-biter, powered by homers from their homegrown duo, Austin Wells and Anthony Volpe.<\/p> Soto, meanwhile, found himself in a perfect “prove them wrong”<\/em> scenario, down by two, two outs, runners on the corners, facing closer Josh Hader. Hader quickly fell behind 3-0 before battling back to a full count. Then, with the count 3-2, he threw a slider, darting out of the zone, baiting Soto into a whiff. Game over.<\/p>