The New York Mets won the offseason by signing superstar outfielder Juan Soto to a record-breaking 15-year, $765 million deal. However, they didn’t win on Opening Day, as the Houston Astros beat them 3-1.
Soto went 1-for-3 with two walks and a game-sealing strikeout in his Mets debut. New York totaled six hits but left 10 baserunners stranded. Nobody on the team had more than one hit.
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Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez tossed seven shutout innings before setup man Bryan Abreu pitched a scoreless eighth. Closer Josh Hader then allowed one run in the ninth on a Francisco Lindor sacrifice fly before he fanned Soto to clinch the win.
Despite the loss, Soto stayed positive when speaking with reporters.
“For me, it was a good experience,” the 26-year-old said. “These guys are amazing. We’ve been having a good time since spring training, so we’ve just got to bring that all the way.”
Soto signed with the Mets after helping the New York Yankees get to the World Series last season, which they lost in five games to the Los Angeles Dodgers. His arrival in Queens gives the Mets a star trio of him, Lindor, and Pete Alonso.
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Lindor led off on Thursday, with Soto and Alonso behind him, respectively. The three of them combined for just two hits and one RBI in nine at-bats with four walks and four strikeouts. Starting pitcher Clay Holmes gave up three runs (two earned) with five hits, four walks, and four strikeouts in 4.2 innings.
The Mets will rematch the Astros on Friday night.
