Juan Soto Trolled by Fans As Strikeout Seals Mets' Loss to Astros After $765M Contract

Juan Soto came up just short in his regular-season debut for the New York Mets, as the team fell to the Houston Astros by the final score of 3-1 on Thursday.

As the Mets trailed by two with two outs and runners at the corners in the top of the ninth inning, Soto struck out to seal the loss despite initially being up 3-0 in the count against Astros closer Josh Hader.

Expectations were high for the four-time All-Star after he signed a massive 15-year contract worth $765 million with the Mets in free agency.

Soto finished 1-for-3 with two walks to go along with a strikeout against the Astros.

Fans and pundits called him out for his final plate appearance of the day.

The Mets were held scoreless through the first eight innings of the game, particularly struggling against two-time All-Star starter Framber Valdez. Valdez allowed just four hits and racked up four strikeouts in seven innings of work on Thursday, throwing 90 pitches.

New York loaded the bases in both the eighth and ninth inning, but it only managed to score one run.

Soto and the Mets will look to improve in their second game of the 2025 season, facing off against the Astros once again on Friday at 8:10 p.m. ET.