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Watch: Mets OF Juan Soto blasts two home runs to snap Citi Field drought
It took longer than he might have liked, but New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto snapped his Citi Field home run drought in a big way on Thursday.
The four-time All-Star hit two home runs for New York in a 4-2 loss for his first long balls at his home stadium since signing a landmark 15-year, $765 million contract as a free agent in December 2024.
His most recent home run at Citi Field before Thursday was on June 25, 2024, when he was with the Yankees.
Soto's first long ball came in the bottom of the sixth inning with the Mets trailing 2-0. He took Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen's 89 mph cutter 391 feet to left centerfield. Per Baseball Savant, the ball left Soto's bat with an exit velocity of 106.4 mph and would have been a home run in over half of all other MLB ballparks (16 of 30).
Juan Soto mashes his first @Mets home run at Citi Field pic.twitter.com/7Z6oSMKOu3
— MLB (@MLB) May 1, 2025
Two innings later, Soto blasted his second solo home run of the game to nearly the same part of the stands off relief pitcher Kevin Ginkel, once again cutting Arizona's lead to one run.
Juan Soto leaves the yard AGAIN pic.twitter.com/39SBEnSzCY
— MLB (@MLB) May 1, 2025
While New York might want to work on getting runners on base when Soto is at the plate, it's a good sign that its highest-paid player has snapped out of his home-field slump.
It's been jarring to see Soto put up mediocre numbers at Citi Field after owning the ballpark as an opponent with the Yankees, Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres.
Per Stathead, from 2018-24, Soto slashed .333/.466/.709 with 12 home runs (19 total extra-base hits), 28 strikeouts and 28 walks in 146 plate appearances at Citi Field.
While the Mets lost Thursday's game, they should take solace in the more minor victory of their star finally playing like one at home.
More must-reads:
- Juan Soto's bat speed decline threatens Mets' $765 million investment
- Milestone day for Jose Ramirez as Guardians edge Twins in 10
- The 'MLB mascot names' quiz
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Mets, White Sox have reportedly discussed a trade
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Team Sinner or Team Alcaraz? Iga Swiatek makes her pick, describing preferred player as 'inspirational'
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It's time for the Bengals to meet their disgruntled star halfway
As Trey Hendrickson prepares to end his holdout, it's time for the Cincinnati Bengals to meet their star edge-rusher halfway. On Tuesday, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that Hendrickson plans to end his holdout amid a prolonged contract dispute by reporting to Bengals camp on Wednesday despite still seeking an extension. "Reporting to camp stops the $50,000 per day fines and also serves as a good-faith gesture to try to jumpstart negotiations," Schefter wrote. Hendrickson is owed $18.7M in 2025. Last season, Hendrickson led the NFL in sacks (17.5). He originally signed a four-year, $60M contract with the Bengals during 2021 free agency and later signed a one-year extension in July 2023 to keep him Cincinnati through 2025. With no guarantees beyond this upcoming season and the edge-rusher market exploding recently, Hendrickson certainly has a valid argument to demand an extension. Meanwhile, Cincinnati has few (if any) good reasons not to reward their best defensive player. Hendrickson, 30, has been one of the league's most prolific pass-rushers since joining the Bengals. Former agent Joel Corry, writing for CBS Sports, brushed aside concerns about a potential drop-off in production while pointing to Pittsburgh Steelers edge T.J. Watt's recent contract extension. As Corry noted, Watt, who became the league's highest-paid non-quarterback when he agreed to a three-year, $123M extension earlier this offseason, is roughly two months older than Hendrickson. "Hendrickson also accounted for 48.6% of Cincinnati's sacks last season while Watt was responsible for 28.8% of Pittburgh's," Corry wrote. On Monday, Schefter shared that the main sticking point in Hendrickson's contract dispute is guaranteed money, with the Bengals hesitant to provide any guarantees beyond 2025 on a potential three-year deal. As productive as Hendrickson has been for the Bengals — his 57 sacks since 2021 only trail Watt and Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett — the front office should be doing everything in its power to ensure he finishes his career in Cincy. Hendrickson ending his holdout is the first step to the sides reaching a resolution. The next is the Bengals giving him an extension commensurate to his production.
Jordan Love causes teammate to get yanked from drill
It appears that Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love is getting better at one area, particularly when it comes to the hard count. He had success last week with his hard count when he got both Nate Hobbs and Edgerrin Cooper jumping on separate occasions. Love, who is entering his third season as the Packers’ full-time starting quarterback, continues to work on his game and polish areas where improvements can be made, and mastering the hard count seems like one of the items he is focused on in the training camp. It can also be recalled that he talked about the hard count during 2023 OTAs as an “emphasis that I’ve been trying to just build and keep working.” Green Bay offense takes friendly fire over Love’s hard count On Monday, Love drew another offside because of his hard count, but not at the expense of the defense. “Love got Hobbs to jump with his hard count last week. On Monday, Love got another Packers newcomer to jump on the hard count. The only problem for Love is that it was his own left guard. Banks flinched right before defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt and was booted from the drill for Jacob Monk,” Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reported. Getting familiar with Love’s cadence is a challenge for the Packers’ offensive line, as the team definitely doesn’t want to see the QBs hard counts resulting in penalties for the offense instead of for the defense.
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