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The way everything unfolded felt like something only the wizardry of Juan Soto could produce.
Prior to the Mets starting a series in Minnesota on Monday, Soto shared with The Post’s Mike Puma how pitchers have approached him in a distinct manner when Pete Alonso is on-deck instead of Aaron Judge from last year. It seemed like he was trying to explain or possibly complain, particularly when he mentioned having the “best hitter in baseball behind me” in reference to Judge, even though Alonso, who is hitting .356 with a .729 slugging percentage and is close to breaking the Mets’ all-time home run record, has been performing exceptionally well in the early part of 2025.
But then Soto went out and homered during the Mets’ win, suggesting that just when the doubts and questions start stacking up against a slower-than-expected start, their $765 million man and generational hitter will find a way to produce.
That, really, captured the Mets’ first 16 games perfectly. Even with Soto homering only once in his first 15 games and relying on walks to reach base as often as he does, even with Brett Baty hitting just .139 and seemingly on the verge of jeopardizing his roster spot in the majors, even with Mark Vientos hitting .138 with zero — zero! — homers after his postseason heroics, the Mets still led the National League East.