Amid a chorus of boos at Citi Field, Juan Soto answered when it was almost too late. With the New York Mets down to their final two outs and on the verge of being no-hit by Cleveland Guardians pitcher Gavin Williams, Soto launched a solo home run in the ninth inning to break the shutout. It was the lone bright spot in yet another rough night, as the Mets suffered their ninth loss, falling 4-1 in the series finale.Soto’s homer snapped an offensive drought that dated back to the fourth inning of Tuesday’s 3-2 loss. With that streak, New York had gone 13 straight innings without recording a single hit. The $765 million superstar acknowledged the frustration running through the clubhouse but stressed the need to find a way forward.
“It’s frustrating. It’s frustrating for the offense, it’s frustrating for even the starters,” he told the media.” We’ve just got to figure out the way.”
The outfielder also addressed the pressure of staying in the hunt and the challenge ahead.
“Nobody said it’s going to be easy to go all the way,” Soto said, according to The Bleacher Report. “It’s a challenge. We’ve got to go out there and take it from them.” Despite criticism from the crowd following a defensive miscue in the sixth inning that allowed a triple, Soto said his focus remained on preparation and execution at the plate, not the looming no-hitter.
“Nobody said it’s going to be easy to go all the way. It’s a challenge. We’ve got to go out there and take it from them. Nobody is going to bring the trophy over here and give it to us, we’ve got to go out there and take it.”
– Juan Soto pic.twitter.com/jbH1wYOfZp
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Before his ninth-inning blast, Soto had been in a slump since the All-Star break, hitting just .164 with an OPS below .600 over his last 17 games. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza defended the Dominican star’s effort on the defensive play and expressed optimism about his offensive progress.
“He’s more balanced, he’s connected, he’s short to the ball. And we know when you see that right there … I think he’s getting close,” Mendoza said of Soto’s swing, according to The New York Post.
Despite the ongoing skid, the Mets still hold the final Wild Card spot in the National League and sit just 2.5 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East. However, with the red-hot Milwaukee Brewers up next, New York will have little room for error if they want to stay in the postseason race.
