Acce s the Mets beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets. Fans at Citi Field already were growing restle s over , but many in the home crowd stood and cheered the $765 million man as he strode to the plate with a runner on third base and the Mets trailing by one run in the fifth inning Friday night. Those cheers grew louder when the skidding Soto ripped an 0-1 changeup to right field for a game-tying RBI single against St. Louis starter Miles Mikolas in an on Francisco Lindors walk-off homer in the ninth. The crowd is embracing Soto, and I love that theyre embracing him because hes gonna be with us for a very long time, said Lindor, who similarly struggled to open his Mets tenure in 2021. Hunter Strickland Jersey Hes a fantastic teammate and a fantastic player. Juan Soto rewards the faithful's standing ovation with a game-tying hit! MLB (@MLB) New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto delivered a game-tying hit for the Mets on April 18, 2025. Robert Sabo for NY Post Explore More So I know at any point, hes gonna make something happen. Every at-bat for him, it feels like hes in every at-bat. And to see him come through like that, you kind of expect it because hes that good. Im happy that the fans are embracing him and showing him love because he deserves it. CHECK OUT THE AND The run-scoring single and a subsequent walk in the seventh came on the heels of a 2-for-24 skid, including two grounders to first base in his first two trips. The slide dropped Sotos batting average to .214 with just three home runs, albeit two in the previous four games. Juan Soto celebrates his game-tying hit. Robert Sabo for NY Post It also followed a controversy from earlier this week after the former Yankees slugger that he has been pitched to differently this season without Aaron Judge batting behind him. Soto was not made available after Fridays game, but hed said after going 0-for-3 with a walk in the that he definitely knows how to handle a slump. Ive been growing as a man through my whole career, and I just know things are gonna change. I just gotta keep grinding, Soto said Thursday. The 26-year-old outfielder finished third in AL MVP voting last year with 41 home runs and a .989 OPS in his first season in The Bronx, with teammate Judge copping the award for the second time in three seasons. Juan Soto celebrates his RBI single. Jason Szenes / New York Post But the four-time All-Star spurned the Yankees to jump to the cro stown Mets on a whopping 15-year deal via free agency. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza wants the Flushing faithful to continue to be patient and supportive. Thats who we are, and thats who the Mets fans are, Mendoza said. Theyre always going to be behind their players. We feel it, and the other teams feel it. And Im pretty sure Juan felt it, and it was good for him to come through. Hes a really good player, and it was good to see. Weve seen it here with other players, especially when theyre struggling. You can feel that reaction from the fans, in this case with a standing ovation. We saw that last year with Lindor, and he took off after that. Im not saying thats gonna be the case all the time, but its good to have that type of support. Sam Bachman Jersey