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Juan Soto Dismisses Question About 'Pressure' With Two-Word Comment

"What pressure?"

Tim Capurso

Soto belted two home runs, including his first round-tripper as a Met at Citi Field, in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Diamondbacks.
Soto belted two home runs, including his first round-tripper as a Met at Citi Field, in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Diamondbacks. / Screengrab Twitter @SNY_Mets
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Juan Soto belted two home runs—his first round-trippers as a New York Met at Citi Field—in the club's 4-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday. After the game, Soto was asked if the dingers "take any weight or pressure" off of him. The Mets slugger needed just two words to dismiss the notion.

"What pressure?" Soto asked.

"I don't have any pressure," Soto continued. "Mendoza [Mets manager Carlos Mendoza] has been really clear with me to make me feel comfortable going out there and playing. I don't have any pressure at all so, they're just two homers that weren't enough to get the win."

Soto in December of 2024 signed a 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets. His career in Queens has gotten off to a bit of a slow start, as his .379 On-Base Percentage and .443 slugging percentage are well below his career marks.

Soto himself even admitted that hitting in the Mets lineup results in pitchers approaching him differently than when he was a member of the New York Yankees batting order. Faux controversy that ensued from his comments aside, Soto, in making such a remark, was acknowledging his early-season struggles.

But neither he nor the Mets have shown any signs of panic. Manager Carlos Mendoza has been insistent that Soto is turning the corner. Mets owner Steve Cohen, the man who cut the check for Soto's historic contract, is "not worried" about the four-time All-Star, pointing out the subtle ways in which he impacts New York's batting order.

Given his track record and the support he has within the Mets organization, it's no wonder that Soto himself says he isn't feeling pressure.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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