Mets' Juan Soto reaches bases 6 times in a game for first time

New York Times

4 hours ago

Juan Soto's first eight days of June have gone a lot better than the final few weeks of May.
In the New York Mets' 13-5 win over the Colorado Rockies Sunday, Soto reached base six times — more than in any other game in his career. He contributed three singles and three walks as New York polished off a sweep of the Rockies.
Advertisement
After a mediocre start to the season, Soto had really sputtered in the final three weeks of May, enduring a 10-for-66 stretch that included a .511 OPS. It was as bad a stretch as he'd ever encountered in the majors.
He's enjoyed the calendar turning to June — and perhaps a slate that's included two series against the league-worst Rockies. This month, Soto is 9-for-26 with 12 walks — good for a .346/.564/.615 slash line and an 1.179 OPS. His OPS on the season, which was .745 back through May 28, is up to .820.

'It's the same thing. I'm just finding more gaps and more holes,' Soto said postgame. 'I'm making good swings and good decisions.'
'It was a perfect day for him,' said Pete Alonso, whose eighth-inning homer pushed him past David Wright and into second on the franchise's home run leaderboard.
Since a 9-12 stretch in early May, the Mets are 12-3 in their last 15 games. They've taken advantage of Colorado (6-0) and the Chicago White Sox (2-1) while also taking the season series from the Dodgers (4-3) in that span.
That run has coincided with brutal stretches for both the Phillies and Atlanta. New York's lead in the division is up to 4 1/2 games, and it's now 14 over fourth-place Atlanta.
(Photo of Starling Marte, Juan Soto and Pete Alonso: Isaiah J. Downing / Imagn Images)