Juan Soto's Mets debut ends with strikeout with game on line - ESPN

HOUSTON — Five times Juan Soto stepped into the batter's box during his debut with the New York Mets against the Houston Astros on Thursday. And five times baseball's $765 million man received steady boos from the Daikin Park crowd, none louder than in the ninth inning, with the game on the line.

Soto, fittingly, represented the game-winning run when he walked to the plate to face left-hander Josh Hader with runners on the corners and two outs. Hader, one of the best closers in the sport, quickly fell behind 3-0, then recovered with two strikes before unleashing a slider that darted away from Soto and out of the strike zone.

Soto waved and whiffed. He was, shockingly, fooled to end the Astros' 3-1 win.

«His best pitch is the fastball,» Soto said, «so I was sitting on the fastball.»

Thursday's Opening Day game, matching two clubs that expect to play in October, had a few pregame storylines. Future Hall of Famer Jose Altuve's first game as a left fielder in his age-35 season. Cam Smith, a 22-year-old slugger, making his major league debut less than a year after he was drafted. Clay Holmes, the former New York Yankees All-Star closer, starting his first game since 2018.

But it was, above all, about Soto.

A year ago, Soto also made his debut as the right fielder for a New York club in Houston to launch a pressure-packed season. But that team was the Yankees, the stadium was called Minute Maid Park and the pressure stemmed from the desire to impress with free agency waiting in November.

This time, he's a member of the Mets, an air conditioning company owns this ballpark's naming rights and the pressure stems from looking to prove he's worth the largest contract in professional sports history.

Batting second, Soto cracked a