Juan Soto amazes Mets' bench amid mockery of Ohtani and Dodgers

Juan Soto is getting his smile back. Although his performance is still far from the level the Mets aspire to after g him for $765 million, the Dominican has been getting into gear from the offensive rectangle and, in addition, has been seen much more involved in the dugout of the New York franchise

A few weeks ago he was criticized for his apathy and lack of intensity and leadership, but now the situation has changed radically. The most obvious proof is not only in his contribution to the team, but also in the good chemistry with his teammates. Soto has been trending for a spectacular trick in front of the incredulous gaze of the Dodgers and all the fans in Los Angeles

In the ninth inning of the penultimate duel between the Mets and Dodgers, with the game 6-0 in favor of the New Yorkers, Soto met with Starling Marte, Jose Siri, Luisangel Acuna and Francisco Alvarez at the end of the dugout to perform an unexpected challenge: to throw a half-empty water bottle and get it to land on its feet

It seemed like a simple game, but one by one the contenders failed the challenge, until Soto stepped up and got it right the first time. The Dominican, victorious, ran and smiled all over the Mets' bench as his teammates applauded him

The competition went viral right away and even the broadcast on the SNY network split the screen during an at-bat, offering on the one hand the incidents of the game and on the other the Mets players having fun with Soto as the winner of the water bottle duel.

"That's why they pay him so much money"

Keith Hernández

"He's telling the guys that's what he's paid so much money for," joked Keith Hernandez, a former Mets legend, on the television broadcast

On the other side of the diamond, the Dodgers players watched with long faces at the Mets' particular celebration. From the stands, the Los Angeles fans were also not very happy, perhaps because they saw the attitude of the rivals with the game already open as a lack of respect

However, the reality is that the Mets had a party in the dugout throughout the game. In fact, the spark for this competition was lit long before by Luisangel Acuna, who for much of the game was in the corner of the dugout with a mascot and a catcher, practicing in a crouch. Starling Marte ed in on the fun and at one point mimicked an at-bat with his teammate.

In a curious moment, Francisco Lindor hit a foul ball right at Acuna, who caught it with his glove and even made the gesture of framing the pitch as if he were behind the plate

The Mets' dominance over the Dodgers

The rivalry between New Yorkers and Angelenos is heating up. Last year they argued over the National League pennant and now each has in its ranks the players with the biggest contracts in baseball history: Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto

Due to their large investments, both teams are in the spotlight, with the Dodgers being the defending World Series champions and armed with a constellation of stars. However, this season the Mets have managed to measure up and have already won four of the six games they have played

One of the causes of the Dodgers' problems in this duel is that the Ohtani phenomenon has not produced at its best. The Japanese has driven in only three runs and his offensive line (Average/On-base percentage/Slugging) is .208/.286/.458. This is striking, because in his career against the New Yorkers he had been a scourge before 2025.

To get an idea, in his previous campaigns he had driven in 10 runs, with 13 hits, eight extra-base hits and a staggering 1.288 OPS. The Dodgers hope Ohtani can regain his usual rhythm for the final game of the regular season against the Mets, which will be held Thursday at Chavez Ravine

At stake is the supremacy of left-handed hitters in MLB, that particular mano a mano between Ohtani and Soto, although the Dominican still has a lot of work to do to reach his best level. So far, he has not fared well in this new stage with the Queens franchise and, above all, he has fallen short against the Dodgers

If we look at his numbers this season against the Angels, Soto has a poor offensive line of .167/.310/.375, with just three extra-base hits, one home run and six RBIs in 29 plate appearances. He certainly has a lot to improve on.