Dodgers Release Another Fan Favorite and the Pirates Spiral-34:58
When the curtain rose on this past weekend’s Subway Series in the Bronx, Juan Soto seemed to be taking the abuse in stride, doffing his helmet to a packed crowd’s worth of boos and playfully gesturing at the Yankees’ Bleacher Creatures, as they turned his trademark right field welcome into a cold embrace. But, by Sunday evening, as the boos remained incessant (and even grew louder, in some instances), it certainly looked like reality was beginning to settle in for Soto. He could mockingly punch back as much as he wanted to; there was no effective antidote to this particular venom.
The playfulness was gone by the series finale. With a nationally televised rubber match on the horizon, Soto seemed stoic, either locked in on the task at hand or fearful of what might be around the corner. By the end of the game, when he took a check swing, walked towards first, and allowed DJ LeMahieu to make a special play due to his lack of hustle, it seemed clear the second option had prevailed.
For whatever reason, Soto was swagger-free in this all-important proving ground. And it should’ve been obvious early in the game when Yankees beat writer Brendan Kuty noticed something funky about Soto’s pre-inning warmups.
Soto played catch in a random undeveloped area of shallow right field, well away from the bleacher crowd that turned his back on him Friday night (and that he turned his back on in December). It was hard not to transparently read the move as intentional, considering … no right fielders are ever stationed in that area naturally.
Mets star free agent Juan Soto warmed up 100 feet away from Yankees fans unnecessarily
For everyone who wasted time bloviating about why Yankees fans couldn’t get over Soto leaving the Bronx after just one year, it should now be painfully clear that Soto hasn’t gotten over it yet, either.
This wasn’t just about someone choosing the Mets over the Yankees. Nobody’s booing Clay Holmes (yet). This was about a superstar player who appeared to have a fast-developing and extremely genuine relationship with the Bronx crowd, which grew organically (of his own volition). Every half-inning, he’d scream and pump up the faithful, who eventually began to bring Dominican flags and turn the Judge’s Chambers into his personal party. And then he consulted with his family, leaked hit pieces about stadium security, and opted to leave them forever, leaving $760 million on the table for a modest upcharge on the other side of town.
Either that relationship — which seemed so mutual last season — was nothing but phony, or Soto really can be bought and sweet-talked out of even the things he cares about most. Regardless, neither side could really stand to look at one another this weekend. But one coordinated the snub out of spite, and the other ran from the challenge out of fear.