The Mets have not a lot of reasons to smile and laugh through the first month of the season. A dreadful start has put them miles behind in the National League East and there's widespread speculation that manager Carlos Mendoza could potentially find himself in the same situation as Alex Cora and Rob Thomson. But Tuesday night was a legitimately good time for the the home side at Citi Field as New York cruised to an 8-0 victory over the Nationals.
Clay Holmes turned in another dazzling start and Juan Soto hit his first home run since returning from an injury that kept him out of the lineup for nearly three weeks. Soto's two-run shot was a reminder of what he's bringing to the table and seeing a .300 average and .867 OPS on the scoreboard when he bats might go a long way in cooling down Mets fans on the ledge.
As is often the case, Soto was caught just having fun out there during an at-bat in the seventh inning. After getting the count 3-0 in his favor, the slugger asked Nationals catcher Drew Millas if he should take the next pitch or swing away.
Soto went on to take the next two pitches before eventually flying out to left field.
Juan Soto on 3-0 to the catcher: “Swing or take? I’ll do whatever you say, should I take?” Takes the pitch.
— Master Flip 🇩🇴 (@Masterflip_) April 29, 2026
Next pitch: ‘“You see? I do whatever you want, man. What do you want now, take?” Takes on 3-1.
Generational talent 😂 #lgm pic.twitter.com/q2viIPn4gq
It's a little thing. The Mets are still 10-19 this morning and no closer to the red-hot Braves in the division. But it has to be worth something to have some positive energy out there on the field and the best player on the roster leading the charge to smile a bit more. A few more wins and a prolonged stretch of above-.500 play would make that attitude contagious.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Juan Soto Had an Unusual Question for Catcher During His At-Bat.
