HOUSTON — Juan Soto might have come up short in the ninth inning of his first game with the Mets, but there was nothing short about his 390-foot home run Friday night. His first in a Mets uniform that actually counts, the superstar slugger teed off on a 1-2 cutter from Houston Astros’ right-hand er Hunter Brown, sending it over the right field fence to help his new team win, 3-1. Everything the Mets (1-1) couldn’t do on Opening Day, they did the day after. “He’s Juan Soto, he’s going to come through more times than not,” said manager Carlos Mendoza. The home run helped the Mets gain some separation over the Astros (1-1). They took two off Brown in the second inning, but after Soto’s homer made it 3-0, the Mets’ bats were effectively quieted. It didn’t matter though, because Soto’s shot right down the line was practically loud enough to be heard in space. It was a tough pitch, a 96 MPH cutter right above the zone, but Soto turned on it and knew it was gone immediately. “I was hunting something up there,” Soto said. “So for me, I just saw it and hit it. I wasn’t looking at the speed or anything, I just feel like I saw it really well. Even when it was 96, I saw it really well. I followed my plan and just trusted it.” Right-hander Tylor Megill faced the minimum through three innings before giving up a run in the fourth. However, he stopped a rally before it started with two strikeouts. In the fifth, he used his sinker to get a double-play. The pitch selection and execution showed growth. “That’s kind of what the pitch is utilized for — just get the ball in play and let the defense work,” Megill said. “Before, I used to be going predominantly four-seam to get fly outs or whatnot, but [the] sinker really allows the ball to get in the infield, hit to a position player and an opportunity to turn two.” Megill faced two batters in the sixth, with Jake Meyers reaching on a wild pitch and Jose Altuve reaching on a single. Despite getting ahead on both hitters, the Mets took no chances and brought in right-hander Reed Garrett from the bullpen. “When he got in trouble when they scored that run, I thought he kept making pitches,” Mendoza said. “He settled in nicely and limited damage, which is something that we also want to see. The Astros made Garrett work. He fell behind on Isaac Paredes before striking him out, but then he walked Alvarez on the seventh pitch of the at-bat to load the bases with only one out. From there, he settled in, striking out Christian Walker and getting Yanier Diaz to pop up on the second pitch of the at-bat. “He went out and shoved it,” Megill said of Reed’s outing. Brown had just gotten out of his own jam in the top of the inning to end his outing. With two on and none out, Brandon Nimmo hit into a 4-3 double play, and Mark Vientos hit a fly ball to center field for an easy out. It was a solid start for Megill. With injuries decimating the Mets’ starting rotation, the Mets are relying on Megill once again to make some big starts early in the season. For his part, Megill is just hoping to stick in the big leagues after three seasons of injuries and inconsistencies. If he builds on this start, the Mets will certainly keep him around. Megill held the Astros to one earned run on three hits. He walked one and struck out six while using 77 pitches over five innings (plus two batters). Walks have been his downfall since 2022, but he managed to throw strikes and get himself out of trouble when faced with bad counts and patient hitters. “I thought he was really good,” Mendoza said. “Early on he was attacking and they hit some balls hard, but that’s what we’re asking him to do — throw strikes and stay on the attack.” Brown gave up three runs (two earned) on four hits while walking three and striking out seven. The home run to Soto was a good pitch, but hung up above the zone in a bad location. As Brown started his windup, AppleTV+ put a chyron on the screen showing the odds Soto would homer in that at-bat: a 3% chance. Soto has made a career out of defying the odds at the plate. A member of the 2019 Washington Nationals team that defeated the Astros in the World Series, he’s been booed relentlessly over the last two games in Houston. Striking out with a chance to win the game in Thursday’s opener wasn’t exactly how he pictured introducing himself to a new fanbase, but Soto made up for it with an early home run that gave the pitching staff just enough of a lead for them to breathe. A.J. Minter, Ryne Stanek and closer Edwin Diaz held Houston off the rest of the way, with Edwin Diaz converting his first save of the season. “We’re the New York Mets, we’re not the Juan Soto Mets,” Soto said. “We’re here as a team.” A team win, thanks, in large part, to Soto. ...read more read less