Soto’s home debut ends on a downer
Juan Soto soaked in the fan fervor on his first day in pinstripes and wound up flinging his bat and helmet in response to his futility.
“Just frustration that comes out,” Soto said after the New York Yankees lost, 3-0, to the Toronto Blue Jays in their home opener Friday. “You want to do so [many] things for this fan base and get your team going, and you have the chance to do it and couldn’t get it done. It really gets you mad. And at the end of the day, that’s my fault, shouldn’t do that, but things happen.”
Soto went 0 for 4 with a pair of strikeouts, vexed by the wide strike zone of plate umpire Edwin Jiménez. Still, it was a memorable afternoon for the 25year-old outfielder.
New York acquired the three-time All-Star from San Diego in December and is assured of Soto for only one season. His customized cleats Friday had “Soto [Heart] NY” written on them along with the city's skyline and symbols for the B and 4 trains that bring fans to the ballpark.
Soto was given a standing ovation in the bottom of the first when he headed to the plate with “Empire State of Mind” as his walk-up song. He grounded out, then struck out twice around a popout.
In the game, Toronto pinch-hitter Ernie Clement had a tiebreaking solo home run off reliever Caleb Ferguson leading off the seventh inning.
Strider gets elbow tests
Spencer Strider, Atlanta's ace and the major league leader in wins and strikeouts last season, will have tests on his right elbow Saturday after complaining about discomfort in Friday night's game.
Strider lasted only four innings, allowing five runs on seven hits. He recorded four strikeouts and struggled with control, walking three batters in Atlanta's 6-5 win over Arizona in 10 innings.
Braves manager Brian Snitker said Strider "was complaining about his elbow . . . . He was uncomfortable with how it was feeling.”
When asked when Strider felt the discomfort, Snitker said it “might have been throughout the game.” Snitker said he learned of the issue after Strider left the game.
Díaz saves Mets, at last
Edwin Díaz pitched out of trouble in the ninth inning to earn his first major league save since October 2022, and the Mets held off the Reds, 3-2, in Cincinnati.
Jeff McNeil broke out of a slump with his first home run of the season and Jose Quintana provided a solid start as New York won its second straight one-run game after opening 0-5.
It’s been a long road back for Díaz, who missed last season following knee surgery. This was his fourth appearance of the year, but he was pitching on back-to-back days for the first time.
“It means a lot,” Díaz said of his first save. “The ball was moving great today. My first three outings were no problem. I had to make my pitches tonight.”
Orioles swing in Pittsburgh
Ryan O’Hearn, Gunnar Henderson, and Cedric Mullins homered, Grayson Rodriguez pitched into seventh, and the Baltimore Orioles beat Pittsburgh, 5-2, to spoil a Pirates home opener that was played through occasional snow flurries. Rodriguez (2-0) gave up solo homers to Oneil Cruz and Jared Triolo among six hits . . . Seiya Suzuki had three RBIs and Michael Busch homered against his former team, helping the Chicago Cubs beat Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers, 9-7. Dansby Swanson also connected as Chicago earned its fifth consecutive win after dropping its first two games of the season ... Thairo Estrada doubled home Matt Chapman for the winning run with one out in the ninth inning, and the San Francisco Giants gave new manager Bob Melvin a win in their home opener against his former franchise by beating the San Diego Padres, 3-2.