New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza revealed after Monday’s loss to the Boston Red Sox that he plans to talk with superstar outfielder Juan Soto over his lack of hustle during the game.
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In the top of the sixth inning of the Mets’ 3-1 loss, Soto hit a ball to left field that got more than halfway up the Green Monster.
Off the bat, Soto believed it was going over the wall. So, rather than sprinting out of the box, he admired the hit, and then started jogging to first base.
Once it became clear that the ball wasn’t going to get over the wall, Soto was stuck at first base. For what it’s worth, he did steal second right after.
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“I hit it pretty hard,” Soto said. “It’s a really short Green Monster. I tried to get to second, but it wasn’t enough.”
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After the game, Mendoza said he was going to talk to his superstar about not hustling out of the box.
“We’ll talk to him about it,” Mendoza said. “Tonight, obviously, if someone gets a hold of one and knows when he gets it, it’s Juan. He thought he had it. With the wind and all that, in this ballpark — anywhere, in any one, but particularly in this one with that wall right there — you’ve got to get out of the box. Yeah, we’ll discuss that.”
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Soto didn’t exactly agree with his manager’s assessment of his lack of hustle.
“I think I’ve been hustling pretty hard,” Soto said. “If you saw it today, you could tell.”
Less than 24 hours prior, Soto was under fire after not running to first base in his final at-bat of the Mets’ 8-2 loss to the New York Yankees. However, the star outfielder doesn’t seem to think he has any hustle issues.
On the year, Soto is slashing .246/.376/.439 with eight home runs, 20 runs batted in, 37 walks to 33 strikeouts and an OPS of .815. He signed a 15-year, $765 million deal this offseason, making him the highest-paid player in MLB history.
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