The New York Mets won six of eight games, snapping their worst stretch. However, Juan Soto’s blunder threatened to derail momentum. On Friday, they shut out the San Diego Padres, defeating them 5-0. However, while the Mets’ pitching staff had an impressive showing, Soto’s base-running mistake has drawn backlash from Mets fans. A familiar mistake, as observed by the fans on the basepaths, nearly turned out to be costly for the Mets.

With the Mets leading 2-0 against the Padres, Juan Soto had the perfect opportunity to extend the lead. Soto hit a line drive to second base but jogged to first, allowing Song to tag him out despite the fumble. A user posted the clip of Soto faltering on the basepaths on X.

After flying out in the first inning on Friday, Soto faced the Padres’ starter Michael King for the second time during the match. King’s 92-mph sinker found Soto’s bat, but he sent a line drive directly to Song at second. With Song fumbling to grab the ball, Soto had the scoring opportunity with a runner in scoring position. Instead, his slow sprint put an end to the inning.

With Soto going hitless against the Padres, an angry fan on X wrote, “Pathetic… Billy Martin would have pulled him and put his ass on the bench. Something to be said for old school managing… Players have too much say.”

Christian Scott pitched 5.2 scoreless innings to lead the Mets’ defense. Jared Young and Luis Torrens led the offense with home runs of their own. Bo Bichette, the Mets’ biggest addition this offseason, hit a triple into right field, scoring Torrens. Bichette, who was struggling at the plate for the last few months, is hitting better recently.

Poor base-running has been an issue for Soto for many years. In the Subway Series in 2025, Juan Soto led off with a groundout. The 92.7 MPH roller was fielded on a sliding backhand by second baseman DJ LeMahieu, who threw from his knees to get the out. Soto did not hustle to first base and was caught napping, leading to intense backlash. From passing Brandon Nimmo on basepaths to being caught out on umpire wait-time errors, he had his fair share of troubles.

Soto’s calf strain sidelined him for weeks in April, raising questions about his conditioning. Despite the inconsistencies, Soto is slashing .287/.372/.550 this season with a .922 OPS.

Though Soto has emerged as one of the better hitters in the Mets lineup, he has been on the receiving end of criticism for his recent misplay.

Juan Soto’s ineffective base-running infuriates Mets Nation

Fans think Juan Soto’s latest blunder on the basepath deserves a consequence, as a fan commented, “Pathetic… Billy Martin would have pulled him and put his a** on the bench. Something to be said for old school managing… Players have too much say.”

Another agreed, writing, “That’s a bench-able offense…idc how big of a superstar you are. F— hustle.” Another fan wrote, “I’d rather him not blow out his calf…this is gonna happen on occasion. I knew what we signed up for, and it’s all good. He doesn’t chill on defense.”

Soto was missing from the Mets lineup for two and a half weeks early in the series with a mild strain in his right calf. He strained his calf while running from first to third against the San Francisco Giants.

While a user remarked, “He never runs hard to first base. This time, it cost his team a run,” another mocked, “bro thought the base was gonna come to him.” The Mets had already scored two runs in the inning, and King was pitching with two outs in the third. If Soto had run faster, he could have added to the score. But he stranded Torrens at scoring position and got out at first.

“He gets paid waaaay too much money to do something like that!!” remarked a fan. Juan Soto signed a historic 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets, one of the largest contracts in baseball history. Furthermore, the deal contains no deferred money, with an opt-out clause after the 2029 season.