PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Juan Soto quickly demonstrated his impressive hitting abilities for his new club, the New York Mets. In his very first at-bat during spring training, he launched a solo home run to left-center field against the Houston Astros in the first inning. The Mets secured a 6-2 victory in the game.

Soto shared the joy of his performance, noting, “I feel like everybody was really happy. I would say the worst reaction was (teammate) Jesse Winker, that I stepped on him. He was really (in) pain, but he was happy at the same time.”

This isn’t the first time Soto has made a significant impact in spring training. Last year, he also hit a home run in his first spring training game as part of the New York Yankees, where he knocked a three-run homer in the fourth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays.

During the offseason, Soto signed an unprecedented 15-year contract worth $765 million, making the switch from the Yankees to the Mets. In Saturday’s game, he batted second in the lineup, positioned between Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso, and made a notable impact with a 426-foot home run off a 2-1 pitch from the left-handed pitcher Colton Gordon. Additionally, in the next inning, Soto managed to drive in another run with a groundball, marking the end of his plate appearances for the day.

His performance improved his career average in spring training to .304, with a total of 14 home runs and an OPS of 1.017 over 87 games.

The Mets also had reason to be optimistic about Clay Holmes, a pitcher who has transitioned from another New York club. Although Holmes has only started four out of his 311 appearances in the major leagues, he is adapting to a starting role for the Mets. On Saturday, he effectively threw 34 pitches across three flawless innings, striking out three batters in the process.