Juan Soto\u2019s big first season with the Mets added another impressive footnote as his shot to center field in Friday night\u2019s fourth inning carried over the 408-foot sign at Citi Field.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Mets had exploded for a huge inning with that three-run blast and Soto established a career high with his 42nd homer of the season. The \u201cMVP\u201d chants followed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Soto\u2019s thunder obscured much of the night\u2019s sloppiness by both teams in the Mets\u2019 12-6 victory over the Nationals.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Mets, who won for the fourth time in five games, will certainly take it. Their lead on the Reds remained at two games for the NL\u2019s third and final wild-card spot. The Diamondbacks, who began the night two games behind the Mets, played a later game against the Phillies.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Soto, already the franchise\u2019s first 40\/30 performer (homers and stolen bases) in a season led the attack on this night by reaching base four times, unloading for his homer as part of the Mets\u2019 six-run fourth inning. Soto established his previous career high in homers last season, when he hit 41 for the Yankees.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s been a great season at the end,\u201d Soto said. \u201cI ended up doing really great stuff, but it was a tough stretch at the beginning. I definitely have got to work on that and try to be better and go from there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Juan Soto watches his towering home run on Friday night. Robert Sabo for NY Post<\/p>\n
Juan Soto of the New York Mets rounds the bases on his three-run homer during the fourth inning on Sept. 19, 2025. Robert Sabo for NY Post<\/p>\n
Soto\u2019s \u201cconsistency of personality\u201d has struck manager Carlos Mendoza the most this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe never panics,\u201d Mendoza said. \u201cThe impact he has there with the boys, that is what makes him who he is. He\u2019s a special guy, a special player. It\u2019s pretty unbelievable what he is doing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Juan Soto high-fives his teammates after homering. Robert Sabo for NY Post<\/p>\n
The Mets received strong relief from Brooks Raley, Ryne Stanek, Ryan Helsley, Tyler Rogers and Chris Devenski, who combined on 4 \u00b2\/\u2083 scoreless innings after Huascar Brazob\u00e1n scuffled behind Brandon Sproat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sproat received no favors defensively in his third major league start and lasted only four innings in which he allowed four earned runs on four hits with five strikeouts and two walks. The rookie was removed after only 71 pitches, before he could face the top of the Nationals\u2019 batting order for the third time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dylan Crews\u2019 fielding error on Pete Alonso\u2019s single allowed the Mets to score an unearned run in the first. Francisco Lindor singled leading off for the Mets and scored from first as Crews misplayed Alonso\u2019s single.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Francisco Alvarez celebrates after hitting a two-run double on Friday night. Robert Sabo for NY Post<\/p>\n
Francisco Lindor of the New York Mets reacts after hitting a double in the eighth inning on Friday night. Robert Sabo for NY Post<\/p>\n
Sloppy defense by the Mets helped the Nationals score four runs in the third. Sproat threw away Jorge Alfaro\u2019s swinging bunt for an error before Jacob Young walked to load the bases. James Wood hit into a double play to tie it 1-1 before C.J. Abrams launched a shot to left-center that hit off Jose Siri\u2019s glove, bringing in two runs. The play, on which Siri covered considerable ground, was originally ruled an error, but got changed to a two-run double.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Daylen Lile followed with an RBI triple \u2014 the ball skipped past Siri in right-center \u2014 that extended the Nationals\u2019 lead to 4-1. Sproat finally escaped the inning after throwing 32 pitches.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Crews\u2019 second error of the game helped the Mets pull within 4-2 in the third. Lindor drew a two-out walk and reached third when Crews booted Soto\u2019s single. Alonso delivered an RBI single to cut into the Nationals\u2019 lead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Francisco Alvarez tied it 4-4 with a two-run double in the fourth, but the Mets were just getting started in the inning. After Brett Baty got plunked, Lindor stroked a single that was booted by the left fielder Wood for a run and Soto\u2019s ensuing three-run blast gave the Mets an 8-4 lead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cThe best hitters in the league, they do damage when [pitchers] come over the plate and when they don\u2019t they take their walks,\u201d Brandon Nimmo said. \u201cThey don\u2019t swing outside the zone, and [Soto] has done an amazing job of that again this year. I continue to be in awe of it as a peer of his and knowing how hard it is and how easy he makes it look.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Brandon Sproat got the start for the Mets on Friday night. Robert Sabo for NY Post<\/p>\n
Brazob\u00e1n entered for the fifth and surrendered a two-run homer to Abrams that sliced the Mets\u2019 lead to 8-6. Brazoban recorded only one out in the inning and was replaced by Brooks Raley.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Marte\u2019s RBI ground out in the seventh brought in the Mets\u2019 ninth run. Jeff McNeil singled in the inning and pinch-runner Luisangel Acu\u00f1a stole second.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Acu\u00f1a drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth that widened the Nationals\u2019 deficit to 10-6. Nimmo\u2019s ensuing two-run single turned the game into a runaway.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The New York Mets celebrate after the final out of the ninth inning when the New York Mets played the Washington Nationals on Friday night. Robert Sabo for NY Post<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re trying to accomplish something big here,\u201d Soto said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter if we\u2019re down to eight [games] or one. We are just trying to win one.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Juan Soto\u2019s big first season with the Mets added another impressive footnote as his shot to center field…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":156828,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[435],"tags":[66840,49,48,42678,3640,1509,462,475,471,82,3968],"class_list":["post-156827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-brandon-sproat","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-francisco-alvarez","tag-francisco-lindor","tag-juan-soto","tag-mlb","tag-new-york-mets","tag-pete-alonso","tag-sports","tag-washington-nationals"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156827"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156827\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/156828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}