You would think Yankees fans would focus exclusively on their team, not the Mets. But Soto’s departure makes it so.
Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge is off to a torrid start by hitting six home runs and driving in 18 runs to go with a slash line of .426/.850/1.276. On Friday, he hit his sixth home run in seven games. With that performance, one would think the Yankees fans would focus on him instead of dwelling on former Yankee Juan Soto. But that’s not the case. The fanbase is behaving like scorned lovers about Soto being a Met.
They chanted “Bleep JUAN SOTO!” late in the game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Yankees last week at Yankee Stadium. It used to be amusing. Now, it’s a cry for help.
It’s been months since Soto decided to sign with the New York Mets after he received a 15-year, $765 million deal from them. At some point, it’s time to move on. Yes, it’s understandable if Yankees fans were upset about his departure. It certainly was news in this town and around Major League Baseball.
Yankees fans acted smugly when it was suggested Soto would leave the Yankees for the Mets last year. They wondered why he would leave a franchise with a great history that boasts mystique and aura for a franchise that has been used to disappointments for so long.
No one expected Soto to sign with the Mets, not even Mets fans. Mets owner Steve Cohen wondered if he could get a big prize. It had to be a shock to their system when they saw what happened on a Sunday night in December, no doubt.
Yankees fans tasted their own medicine after they saw their team take stars from small-market teams all these years. It had to hurt, for sure. This wasn’t Robinson Cano leaving the Yankees for the Seattle Mariners. This kid in his prime is leaving the Yankees for the crosstown Mets.
For the last three decades, the Mets have been an afterthought to Yankees fans because they have not won much and have had inept ownership. The Mets stood for disappointment and despair, while the Yankees stood for greatness and joy. Now that Steve Cohen bought the Mets, everything has changed. The team started spending on the best players and hiring the best people to operate its baseball operations. As a result, there has been plenty of winning in Queens, with an NL Championship Series appearance to show for it last season.
The Amazins have received plenty of media coverage all offseason and in spring training. The team has owned the back pages of the New York tabloids.
Coming from work Saturday night, plenty of Mets fans congregated at New York Penn Station to celebrate a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. I even ran into plenty of Mets fans on a crowded A train heading uptown. It was a sight to behold.
The Mets have gained popularity in town, and this does not sit well with Yankees fans who want to see their team earn a monopoly in this town. This explains why it hurt for Yankees fans that Soto left them for happiness in Queens.
Yankees fans couldn’t have liked Soto hitting an RBI double that played a role in the Mets’ 2-0 victory over the Miami Marlins on Monday night at Citi Field. The Mets are off to a great start at 7-3 with a five-game winning streak to show for it.
No doubt it’s been great to see Yankees fans squirm after all these years laughing at Mets fans. They got theirs when one of their own decided to move on. It’s why they decided to go to the Mets’ spring training home at Port St. Lucie to heckle Soto last month.
It was pathetic when they did that, but now it is sad. Soto decided that it was time for Yankees fans to move on. He already moved on, and he is indeed happy.
Conversely, the Yankees are off to a 6-4 start. They have been grinding out wins. They should be a playoff team, though it’s difficult to think they are going to the World Series with Gerrit Cole out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. With Judge doing great things alone, there’s no reason to worry about what Soto is doing. I know it’s hard since he is still playing in town.
But the Yankees fans must get on with life and forget the sour grapes sooner or later. In other words, grow up.
