NEW YORK -- Juan Soto had one thought cross his mind when he connected on Tony Gonsolin's splitter over the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth inning Saturday night.
"When I hit it," Soto said, "I was just like, 'Don't catch it.'"
Nobody did.
The ball traveled 399 feet, at 108.3 mph, off the wall in center at Citi Field, giving the New York Mets a lead they would not relinquish in a 5-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers and igniting raucous cheers from a fanbase that has patiently waited for Soto to emerge from his funk.