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Juan Soto Moves into Second Place in Astonishing New York Mets History
New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto (22) prepares for an at bat against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park on Aug. 20. Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

The New York Mets suffered a tough 5-4 loss on Wednesday against the Washington Nationals. With the loss, New York is now 67-59, and they remain in possession of the third and final wild card spot in the National League.

After getting to the National League Championship Series last season, New York has World Series aspirations this year, but they'll have to play better than they've played in the second half of the campaign in order to get there.

Juan Soto went 0-for -3 with a walk in the loss, but he did move up an impressive list in team history, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

Most walks in a season, Mets history:

1999 John Olerud: 125
2025 Juan Soto: 98
1998 John Olerud: 97
1987 Darryl Strawberry: 97
1984 Keith Hernandez: 97

Signed to a 15-year deal worth $765 million this past offseason, Soto is one of the most disciplined hitters in the league as, evidenced by his .385 on-base percentage. He's hitting .249 with 31 homers, 72 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. He owns an .882 OPS.

As for the others on the list?

John Olerud

A 17-year veteran of the Toronto Blue Jays, Mets, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, Olerud was a .295 career hitter with 255 home runs and 1,230 RBIs. He was a two-time All-Star, a three-time Gold Glover and a two-time World Series champion. He also won a batting title.

He helped the Mets get to the NLCS in 1999 and then helped the Mariners advance to the ALCS in both 2000 and 2001. His two titles came with the Blue Jays.

Darryl Strawberry

Strawberry played 17 years with the Mets, Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants. Eight of those years were spent with the Mets. He helped the team win the 1986 World Series and was a seven-time All-Star in New York. He led the National League in homers in 1988 with 39. He recently had his number retired by the organization and was passed by Pete Alonso for the most home runs in team history.

Keith Hernandez

Currently a beloved team broadcaster, Hernandez spent 17 years in the big leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals, Mets and Cleveland. He was a .296 career hitter who hit 162 home runs. An excellent defender, he won 11 Gold Glove Awards and made five All-Star teams. He also won an MVP, two World Series titles and a batting title.

The Mets will play the Nationals again at 4:05 p.m. ET on Thursday.

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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