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New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza plans to talk to Juan Soto after a play that left doubts about his intensity on the field. It all happened Monday night at Fenway Park, when the Dominican outfielder's cannonball, which seemed to be heading for a home run, ended up being just a single.
With the wind blowing in from left field at 24 km/h and the typical cold in Boston, Soto led off the sixth inning with an impressive 164 km/h shot straight to the Green Monster
Instead of running immediately, he stayed watching the trajectory of the ball, which hit the iconic wall about two-thirds of the way up. The decision meant that he had to settle for only reaching first base and was criticized by the fans, as a hit that is close to being a home run, at least should have been a double, but with greater effort, it could well be a triple.
"He thought he had it out," Mendoza explained after the 3-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox. "But in this park, with that wall, you have to run from the first moment. We're going to talk about it."
Juan Soto washed away his indecision with a stolen base
Soto managed to steal second base in the next at-bat, although he did not score. When questioned about his effort, the slugger responded firmly: "I think I've been trying really hard. If you watched the game, you can tell."
Fenway does not forgive distractions. Even Pete Alonso was put out trying to convert a similar hit into a double, also against the left field wall. But Monday was not the first time Soto showed little urgency: on Sunday, at Yankee Stadium, he also did not accelerate when leaving the box on a ground ball.
Mendoza did not want to ignite controversy, but made his position clear: "We will talk to him about it," he said.
The incident did not go unnoticed, especially as it involved a figure of Soto's caliber and ostentatious salary. In close games, every play counts, and the Mets know this, especially after losing the Subway Series to the Yankees. Fans are hoping to heal the wound against the Red Sox.