The New York Mets fell 11-8 to the Miami Marlins on Saturday at Citi Field, but Juan Soto’s phenomenal performance once again placed him alongside some of baseball’s greatest names.

Signed this past winter to a record 15-year, $765 million contract, Soto entered 2025 carrying enormous expectations. After a slow start, he has found his rhythm in the second half of the season, and Saturday’s effort showed why he remains one of the game’s elite hitters.

Trailing 8-5 in the fourth inning, Soto launched a solo home run, his 34th of the year and second in as many games. The blast tied him with Mickey Mantle and Jimmie Foxx for the most games in MLB history with at least one homer and one walk before turning 27, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.

Two innings later, Soto erased the deficit with a two-run shot off Cade Gibson, his 35th of the season, which made him the first player in MLB history to record 35 or more home runs in three consecutive seasons with three different franchises. He hit 35 for the San Diego Padres in 2023, 41 for the New York Yankees in 2024, and now 35 for the Mets in 2025.

Soto finished the game 2-for-2 with two walks, two stolen bases, and three runs scored. His season line now sits at .254/.395/.508 with 35 homers, 84 RBI, and 25 stolen bases across 134 games.

Soto did everything he could, but the Mets could not overcome David Peterson’s worst outing of the year. The left-hander, who had been one of New York’s most consistent starters, allowed a career-high eight earned runs on eight hits in just two innings. His ERA jumped from 3.18 to 3.61. Miami struck early with a five-run first inning that included three RBI doubles, then added three more in the third before Peterson was pulled after 65 pitches.

Reliever Chris Devenski, whom the team recalled from Triple-A Syracuse earlier in the day, steadied the game with three no-hit innings, striking out three and allowing just one walk. Brooks Raley also tossed a scoreless sixth, while Tyler Rogers surrendered the go-ahead run in the seventh on Connor Norby’s sacrifice fly. Norby later added a two-run double in the ninth to put the game out of reach.

The Mets offense stayed hot despite the loss, hitting three more home runs to cap a franchise-record 53 in August. Francisco Lindor opened the scoring with his ninth leadoff homer of the year, extending his single-season franchise record. Mark Vientos followed with a three-run blast in the third, while Soto’s two homers gave the Mets temporary life. Brandon Nimmo also chipped in with two doubles.

The loss dropped the Mets to 73-63, while the Marlins improved to 64-72. New York has scored 31 runs through the first three games of the series, but will need Sunday’s finale to secure a split.