Inside The Mets

Yankees pitcher reveals approach to walking Mets' Juan Soto 3 times

New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón sent an honest message about walking Mets slugger Juan Soto three times on May 16.
Grant Young|
Apr 29, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón (55) reacts to a call during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images
Apr 29, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón (55) reacts to a call during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

In this story:

New York MetsNew York Yankees

The New York Mets came up short against the Yankees on Friday, as they were unable to climb back from an early 4-0 deficit in this first game of the 2025 Subway Series.

Mets starter Tylor Megill was outdueled by Yankees southpaw Carlos Rodón, as Megill could only make it through 2.2 innings pitched, in which he conceded 4 earned runs and 5 walks. In fact, walks were a common theme for both starters, as Rodón also accrued 4 walks in his 5 innings pitched — although he was able to limit the damage of them to just 1 earned run.

Read more: Mets' Juan Soto opens up about reuniting with Yankees

Three of Rodón's walks were issued to Juan Soto. This was relatively anti-climactic, especially given all the excitement around Soto's return to Yankee Stadium after signing with the Mets this past offseason.

Rodón was quoted as speaking about his showdowns against Soto in a May 17 article from Dan Martin of the New York Post. He said, “I was trying to get him to swing and miss every time. As he always is, he was real patient. He knows the zone and gets out of there with three walks. I wanted to get him, but he got me.”

He later added, “There are days you’ve got to figure out how to get outs when everything’s not on. Today was one of those days. You’ve got to go out and compete. It’s part of the job.”

While Soto being on the basepaths is usually a good sign for the Mets' offense, it wasn't enough to kick the club into gear on Friday. Hopefully, the 26-year-old slugger gets more pitches to hit on Saturday.

Recommended Articles

Published
Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Mets and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

Home/News