NEW YORK – It may well be that Friday’s Subway Series opener is remembered for the vitriolic boos that rained upon Juan Soto for most of the evening, especially during his first Yankee Stadium at-bat since last year’s World Series, a moment marked by a sarcastic batting helmet doff that served to pour gasoline onto the fire.
No matter the final score, Soto’s Bronx return would be the most prominent storyline, a superstar switching boroughs to accept a record-shattering 15-year, $765 million contract. But Soto’s exit pushed the Yankees to swiftly adopt a Plan B, including pickups of Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger, both of whom contributed in a 6-2 victory over the Mets.
“That was really fun to be a part of,” Bellinger said. “It was loud. The stadium was full. Really, any Friday night, Yankee Stadium has been really fun to be a part of. But this was obviously just full of energy.”
Goldschmidt stroked two hits, drove in two runs and made a sparkling over-the-shoulder catch on the run far from his first base position, while Bellinger banged three hits while scoring two runs. It marked the Subway Series debut for both veterans.
“They’ve been so great for us,” Carlos Rodón said. “They’ve added some experience, obviously. Goldy just does it the right way every day, and then Belli is a great defensive player in the outfield or any position you put them in. They can get you at any time, so they’ve added some length to our lineup.”
This is the 29th edition of an intracity festival that has featured its share of villains, with Mets fans having lustily jeered the likes of Roger Clemens, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez over the years.
But counterweights have been rare for Yankees fans – until Friday, when Soto received the full José Altuve treatment in a building he called home for a year, where he’d partnered with Aaron Judge as modern-day equivalents of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.
Having watched Soto slash .288/.419/.569 with 41 homers and 109 RBIs, the Yankees cleared most estimates in their efforts to keep Soto, capping their offer at 16 years and $760 million. The Mets came in higher, and Soto was gone.
No scoreboard tribute video was produced; instead, with five months of prep time, many in the crowd of 47,700 carried unprintable chants, signs and more.
“You’ve got to embrace it,” Soto said. “At the end of day, whatever they give you, it is what it is. You’ve got to be a professional. You’ve got to take it as a man. I was just enjoying the moment.”
When Soto took his position in right field before the bottom of the first inning, the Bleacher Creatures turned their backs.
The gesture fit the output: Soto’s night would be mostly quiet -- three walks, his incredible eye sharp as ever, coupled with a groundout and a three-hop throw to home plate on Anthony Volpe’s third-inning sacrifice fly.
The noise was produced by the Yankees in a four-run third inning, when they sent 10 men to the plate, chasing starter Tylor Megill. Goldschmidt’s infield single drove in a run and Francisco Lindor’s throwing error brought home another, then Oswald Peraza drew a bases-loaded walk.
Goldschmidt added an RBI single in the fourth to support Rodón, who grinded to limit the Mets to a run on two hits and four walks over five innings.
“They pressured him. They made him work. He made some really big pitches when he needed to,” manager Aaron Boone said.
Jonathan Loáisiga pitched a scoreless sixth inning in his season debut, having been activated from the injured list prior to Friday’s game, and Devin Williams struck out the side in the eighth -- including a showdown with Pete Alonso, who hit a memorable ninth-inning homer off the then-Brewers closer in last year’s postseason.
This time, Williams won the battle, freezing the Mets star looking at a 94.8 mph fastball.
“That’s who he is, right there,” Boone said. “And we’re seeing it more and more.”
Appropriately, the night would end with a bat in Soto’s hands. Uneasy despite a four-run lead, Boone said he avoided making eye contact with his former player during that at-bat. Soto exhibited a knack for the big moment in his Yankees career, none greater than his pennant-winning homer in Cleveland last autumn.
But this night belonged to the home team: Facing Luke Weaver with two men on, Soto lifted a harmless fly to center field.
“It was fun,” Goldschmidt said. “I knew it’d be like that here. We’ve got a great rivalry here, and the fans are excited from both teams. It was just a fun game, and it’s a lot more fun when you win.”