New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza says he plans to speak with Juan Soto about his effort out of the batter’s box after Soto failed to hustle on a potential extra-base hit during Monday night’s game against the Boston Red Sox.
In the sixth inning at Fenway Park, with a strong 15 mph wind blowing in from left field, Soto led off by ripping a 102 mph line drive toward the iconic Green Monster. Expecting it to clear the wall, he stood watching as the ball struck two-thirds of the way up the 37-foot fence. By the time he realized it wasn’t a home run, he only made it to first base with a single.
“He thought it was gone,” Mendoza said after the Mets’ 3-1 loss. “But with the wind and especially in this park, with that wall right there, you’ve got to get out of the box. We’ll have a conversation about that.”
Soto did steal second base on the first pitch to the next hitter, but he was left stranded on third. When asked afterward, Soto defended his effort.
“I think I’ve been hustling pretty hard,” he said. “If you look at the game today, you can see it.”
At Fenway, balls hitting the Green Monster often result in singles, especially if the batter hesitates. Earlier in the game, Mets slugger Pete Alonso was thrown out trying to stretch a similar hit into a double. However, Soto also drew criticism the night before for not running hard on a groundout at Yankee Stadium.
Mendoza reiterated that the team will address it internally. “We’ll talk to him about it,” he said.