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Just how bad are things going for the 2026 New York Mets?
Look no further than the first batter they faced against the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night, where a routine base hit turned into a Little League home run. And Juan Soto, the team’s $765 million man, was at the center of the brutal mishap.
The Mets came into this game 35-49, which has been one of the most shocking pre-All-Star-break stories of the season given their spot as the second-highest payroll in MLB this season, only behind the reigning World Series-champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
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Juan Soto of the New York Mets walks back to the dugout after striking out in the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 16, 2026. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Starting a six-game road trip on Monday night in Toronto, the Mets were hoping to get something going in their favor just days after manager Carlos Mendoza was fired. But the game couldn’t have started off worse for New York, and it ultimately hurt them in a 2-1 loss.
George Springer stepped into the batter’s box against Mets starter Sean Manaea when he served a 2-2 pitch to left field – a routine single is all it should’ve been.
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However, Soto misread the ball bouncing off the turf completely, choosing to have an aggressive route toward the ball and potentially catch it on the short hop. Instead, the ball went right underneath his glove and started to roll all the way to the left field fence.
Soto was jogging to the ball, while the veteran Springer was booking it around the basepaths. Soto’s decision not to sprint himself was because rookie center fielder A.J. Ewing was in pursuit already. But things only got worse from there.
Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter George Springer celebrates with outfielder Nathan Lukes after scoring during the first inning against the New York Mets at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ont., on June 29, 2026. (Mathew Tsang/Icon Sportswire)
As Ewing looked up to see where Springer was on the bases, he didn’t field the ball cleanly, rather tossing it back to the fence after trying to scoop it up with his glove.
As a result, Springer was waved around third base. By the time Soto picked the ball up and looked toward the infield, Springer was already around third base to score his Little League home run to the delight of the Rogers Centre crowd.
Errors have been among the pain points for the Mets this season, having the third-most in MLB, only behind the Washington Nationals and San Francisco Giants. It was just five days ago when the Mets committed six infield errors as they were swept by the Chicago Cubs in a doubleheader.
This moment was one Soto tried to explain postgame.
“When you have an outfield like that, that it bounces a lot, you have to be aware because you can give up extra base hits really easy,” Soto told reporters after going 1-for-3 at the plate with a walk in the loss. “So, I would say you got to be aggressive – that was my mindset. Just be aggressive, come through the ball instead of playing it back and let it bounce over my head. But I actually just stopped.”
Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter George Springer scores after his triple and a Mets fielding error during the first inning of an MLB game against the New York Mets at Rogers Centre in Toronto on June 29, 2026. (Mathew Tsang/Icon Sportswire)
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This is obviously not what owner Steve Cohen and the Mets had in mind when they began the 2026 campaign, but they find themselves in a hole that seems to get deeper with every game, and plays like this only pile on to the disappointment that continues for the team and its fan base.
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