HOUSTON — Juan Soto, making his Mets debut, faced a rough reception during New York’s 3-1 season-opening loss to the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on Thursday. The right fielder was booed each time he stepped up to bat, with Houston fans even chanting, “O-VER-RA-TED!”
Soto had a chance to tie the game in the ninth inning with two runners on but struck out, capping a disappointing first game with his new team. The Mets invested $765 million over 15 years in him to shine in moments like these, but he’ll have 161 more games to prove himself.
Before the game, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza expressed enthusiasm about Soto joining the team.
“He’s an elite player,” Mendoza said. “He fit in right away during spring training, and the guys here made him feel at home. He’s special, but he’s also human—there will be struggles. I’m just excited to watch him every day.”
Soto, 26, is coming off a stellar 2024 season where he hit .288 with 41 home runs and 109 RBIs, earning his fifth consecutive Silver Slugger Award. But his Mets debut was far from ideal.
After starting 1-for-1 with a single and a walk, he misjudged a wild pitch in the fifth inning while the Mets were down 3-0. He signaled for Luis Torrens to advance to third, only to realize too late that he’d made a mistake. Astros catcher Yanier Díaz quickly recovered and threw out Torrens to end the inning, drawing loud cheers from the Houston crowd. Soto could only smile in acknowledgment of the error as his face appeared on the Jumbotron.
Soto did help spark a potential rally in the eighth with a two-out walk, followed by two more walks to load the bases. However, left fielder Brandon Nimmo flied out, stranding the runners.
The Mets mounted another push in the ninth against Astros closer Josh Hader. After back-to-back singles and a 12-pitch walk from Luisangel Acuña, shortstop Francisco Lindor finally put the Mets on the board with a sacrifice fly. But Soto, with a chance to play hero, struck out to end the game. He finished 1-for-3 with two walks.
On the mound, Clay Holmes, another former Yankee making his Mets debut, wasn’t as sharp as he had been in spring training. The right-hander allowed three runs (two earned) over 4 2/3 innings, walking four and striking out four. It was a bumpier outing than his dominant Grapefruit League performances, where he surrendered just one run across 19 1/3 innings.
Holmes got into early trouble in the second inning, hitting a batter and allowing a single to rookie Cam Smith for his first career hit. A walk loaded the bases, but Holmes escaped with a force-out and a strikeout of Jose Altuve.
In the third, Holmes issued a leadoff walk, then gave up a one-out single to put two runners on. Díaz drove in a run with an RBI single, and a fielding miscue on a potential double play by Acuña allowed another run to score, making it 3-0 Astros.
Houston’s starter, Framber Valdez, kept the Mets in check, allowing just four hits over seven scoreless innings with two walks and four strikeouts. The Astros’ bullpen then finished the job, securing the season-opening win while limiting the Mets to just one late run.
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