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It’s New York—the Mecca of baseball. It was just last year when Yankee Stadium echoed with cheers for Juan Soto. The generational talent that was paired perfectly with Aaron Judge, hitting ahead of him. Fast forward to this season, Subway Series 2025, the same stadium, almost the same crowd, erupted with a different kind of roar. Leaving the Bronx for Queens in free agency didn’t really sit well for Yankeeland.

It was the first time for Juan Soto to enter Yankee Stadium. The past week has been all about the speculations around his return against the New York Yankees. However, no more dips there, as the Yankees’ fans have made their feelings pretty clear.

In the bottom of the first inning, the right fielder was welcomed with boos from the Bleacher Creatures. It started when the Mets’ lineup was introduced and continued till the right fielder jogged to the outfield.

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In response, Juan Soto decided to take it up a notch.

Soto tipped his cap to Yankee fans gracefully and then placed it over his heart. With this gesture, he wanted to send a clear message. He still remembers it all, and he loves the fans with all his heart. And the truth is, he really can’t let these boos get to him because it’s likely to last the entire weekend.

Soto has made a significant contribution to the Mets’ 28-16 record before the Subway Series. Yet, his numbers, in comparison to the last two seasons, haven’t been great. The MVP in him hasn’t made his presence felt till now. At this point, he had hit 8 home runs with 20 RBIs. His slash line holds .255/.380/.465 in the early stretch of this season.

And when it comes to the Yankees, they’ve been doing pretty well in their post-Soto era. They made their way to the Subway Series with a 25-18 record. The second-best record in the American League right now.

The Yankees have bolstered their depth after Soto’s departure. But let’s just agree that their 2024 version was phenomenal, particularly because we got to witness the Soto-Judge duo together. Right now, against the Mets, the Yankees are coming out strong, and they seem to have winning odds in their favor, winning the first game 6-2.

And while Yankee fans couldn’t help but show their resentment toward Soto, Soto’s former manager did the needful.

Juan Soto and Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone had a moment before the game

The intense and much-awaited Yankees-Mets matchup started off with an emotional moment off the field. Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone had an encounter with Juan Soto. It was a warm hug. Not just that, Soto was visibly seen nestling his head on Boone’s chest. It was the first game of the weekend series. And the Soto-Boone moment came right during batting practice before the game began.

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In fact, before the game, Soto even admitted that he will get boos from the Yankees fans. He already anticipated that, and it happened. The Yankees resent his exit. Soto kind of expected that the stadium was going to look like “50,000 vs. 1,50,000,” being the Yankees’ nation. And well, Soto embraced the chaos.

When the game began, Juan Soto, who was highly anticipated to have a great outing against the Yankees, couldn’t do much. He finished off with 0-for-1, giving three walks and one stolen base. Meanwhile, the Yankees had control of the Subway Series opener.

During the third and fourth innings, they scored six straight runs off Tylor Megill and Max Kranick. The Yankees’ offense said it all across two innings as they made the most of a throwing error by Francisco Lindor. It gave them a much-needed lead that helped them throughout the game.

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But despite the loss, we cannot help but feel the warmth shared between Soto and his former team. Fans might be mad, but the connection between the Dominican native and the Yankee crew won’t get dismissed…

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