Mets' Juan Soto bashes pearl of a HR vs. Braves
The post Mets' Juan Soto bashes pearl of a HR vs. Braves appeared first on ClutchPoints.
The New York Mets needed a spark on Monday night against a divisional rival, and Juan Soto delivered one that nearly rocked Citi Field off its foundation. In the bottom of the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves, Soto crushed a 412-foot home run off a 94.7 mph sinker from rookie Spencer Schwellenbach. The two-run blast, Soto's 17th of the season, cut the New York deficit to 3-2 and gave New York a late surge of life in a pivotal NL East showdown.
This wasn't just any long ball, it was a classic Soto home run, launched with a 106.5 mph exit velocity and a towering 26-degree launch angle to left-center field. For a Mets offense that has sputtered over the past two weeks, moments like this are becoming increasingly important.
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Despite a slow start to the season, he entered June hitting just .256, Soto has caught fire this month. He's now batting .329 in June with 8 home runs, showing signs that he's fully in rhythm. For a Mets team dealing with rotation injuries and inconsistency, Soto's bat is emerging as a stabilizing force.
The blast didn't just jolt the game, it carried historical weight. With his 17th homer, Soto ties legends like Jimmie Foxx for the most home runs hit before turning 27. That puts him in elite company and continues to underline his impact not only on the Mets, but on the league as a whole.
While the Braves vs. Mets rivalry added another chapter, this moment still belonged to Soto. Even in what could end up as a loss, he remains the center of attention. Right now, the Mets have two on with two outs and Soto back at the plate — a chance for more drama. If his offensive tear continues, the NL East standings could look very different by the All-Star break. With the Philadelphia Phillies just one game ahead, every swing counts, and no bat in the Mets offense is hotter than Soto's.
Related: Mets fans are already losing it over reliever's new official nickname
Related: Mets send Luisangel Acuna to Triple-A after miserable stretch
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"One of my teammates got a DM, basically saying that she, and then my team, needed to keep my distance from me on gameday against Colorado State, because it wasn't going to be a good situation for me to be in and that my team needed to keep their distance," Slusser previously said. It is unclear whether the warning stemmed from Fleming's alleged plan to have Slusser spiked in the face. When players arrived at Moby Arena for that game, there was a notable police presence, with several officers stationed throughout the venue. And while the spike to Slusser's face never came during that Oct. 3 game, Batie-Smoose told Fox News Digital that she had suspicions about Fleming's intentions during play, before the assistant coach was ever even informed about the allegations. Fleming led the game with 10 errors as San Jose State lost in straight sets. "In set one, I call blocking, Blaire was not looking at me, would not even give me eye contact when [Fleming] kept setting up the block wrong, didn't follow the game plan," Batie-Smoose said. "[Fleming] wouldn't look at me, wouldn't acknowledge me, so then I told [Kress] 'I know this is crazy, but I think that she's throwing the match and she's definitely not listening to a word I'm saying about blocking.'" Batie-Smoose said she recalls an alleged moment at the end of the first set that prompted further concern. "Close to the end of that set was when [Fleming] overpassed a serve right on top of the net for Malayla to hit toward Brooke Slusser, and then those two were kind of always doing eye contact and making smirks up to that point. But then when that happened, they both laughed and [Fleming] said, 'Thank you,' and that's when Blaire blew her a kiss," Batie-Smoose alleged. NEVADA VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS WERE PRESSURED WITH 'LEGAL ISSUES' TO PLAY SJSU TRANS PLAYER DURING FEUD WITH SCHOOL "And then I turned to [Kress] and I said, 'don't you see this interaction, this s--- that's going on?'" By the third set, Batie-Smoose said she was so unnerved by Fleming's disobedience that she felt compelled to ask Kress when he would be taking the trans player out of the game. "I was like, 'You would take anybody else out for a third of those errors'… but then he is literally behind my back on purpose telling [assistant volleyball coach] Julian [Abreu], 'Oh my God, this is so horrible for Blaire, all this stuff is taking such a toll on Blaire, I feel for her!' and I was just like, 'This is crazy,'" Batie-Smoose said. Batie-Smoose claimed she then learned about the misconduct allegations against Fleming from another player on the team when the team returned to San Jose after the game. After Batie-Smoose filed the Title IX complaint, which first publicized the allegations against Fleming, the coach was suspended from the team on Nov. 2 and did not return. She was informed on Jan. 31 that her contract would not be renewed. Batie-Smoose's home was then vandalized with a pellet gun on the night of Feb. 10, Scotts Valley Police Department Captain Scott Garner previously confirmed to Fox News Digital. No motivation was determined. Around the same time, Slusser fled the SJSU campus. It was shortly after the start of the spring 2025 semester, due to receiving alleged threats and harassment from other students for her stance in opposing trans inclusion in women's sports. She finished her degree from her family home in Texas. Slusser has become a recurring speaker in her home state's legislature, advocating on behalf of bills that would grant protections for women and women's spaces from biologically male transgender people. Meanwhile, Fleming celebrated graduation from San Jose State in a social media post in May. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Mountain West, Willkie Farr & Gallagher, San Jose State University, Kress, Colorado State University and Jones' current school, Southern Methodist University (SMU), for a response. Jones transferred to SMU after the end of last season. No response has been provided by those parties. May's office initially responded to Fox News Digital's request for comment after providing the public records, requesting a list of questions and background information be provided before speaking. Fox News Digital did not provide the information or list of comments, and requested a virtual or phone interview. May's office then responded with the statement, "Any speculation that the firm or attorney mentioned in your inquiry represented SJSU or the CSU is unfounded." Fox News Digital had not posed that question or any other stipulation, only an interview request, at that point. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital later followed up with May's office requesting an interview to address other questions, and fulfilled his office's request to provide background information on what would be discussed. May's office responded saying, "He will not be available," and has not responded to request for further comment. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X , and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter . Print Close URL
