Carlos Mendoza got honest about Juan Soto squaring around to sacrifice bunt during the New York Mets’ July 5 game against the Yankees.
To open the bottom half of their July 5 matchup against the Yankees, the New York Mets got off to a strong start—Starling Marte led off with a double, and Francisco Lindor followed by drawing a walk. With no outs and runners on first and second, the Mets had a prime scoring opportunity—and Juan Soto, who’s been on a tear lately, was stepping up to the plate. Over his last 34 games, Soto has posted a .342 average with 13 home runs and 26 RBIs.
With the crowd at Citi Field eagerly anticipating a big swing from Soto against his former team, the slugger instead surprised everyone by laying down a sacrifice bunt. The move successfully moved both runners into scoring position, but it also took the bat out of the hands of one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball at a crucial moment.
Bunting has largely faded from modern Major League Baseball strategy. Even during the era when sacrifice bunts were more common, power hitters rarely, if ever, squared up like Juan Soto did on Saturday. That’s why his decision left fans and analysts alike puzzled.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza appeared just as caught off guard as everyone else when Juan Soto laid down a bunt, something he acknowledged while speaking to reporters following the team’s 12-6 victory.
“That’s part of the show,” Mendoza said when asked about Soto’s decision, according to an X post from SNY. He also confirmed that the bunt was not something he instructed Soto to do.
“Look, man. Of course I want him swinging the bat in that spot, right? Every time,” Mendoza added. “But I have a lot of trust in these guys to make decisions. He got the bunt down, and we ended up hitting a grand slam right after—so it worked out.”
As Mendoza pointed out, Brandon Nimmo crushed a grand slam just two batters after Soto, which ultimately made the bunt an afterthought. However, had Nimmo grounded into a double play instead of delivering that clutch homer, Soto’s surprising choice to bunt might have significantly changed the course of Saturday’s game.
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