It took longer than he might have liked, but New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto snapped his Citi Field home run drought in a big way on Thursday.
The four-time All-Star hit two home runs for New York in a 4-2 loss for his first long balls at his home stadium since signing a landmark 15-year, $765 million contract as a free agent in December 2024.
His most recent home run at Citi Field before Thursday was on June 25, 2024, when he was with the Yankees.
Soto’s first long ball came in the bottom of the sixth inning with the Mets trailing 2-0. He took Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen’s 89 mph cutter 391 feet to left centerfield. Per Baseball Savant, the ball left Soto’s bat with an exit velocity of 106.4 mph and would have been a home run in over half of all other MLB ballparks (16 of 30).