Juan Soto Gets Blasted By Boos In Return To Yankee Stadium, Fans Turn Their Backs

Juan Soto returned to Yankee Stadium for the first time on Friday evening and, well, his former team's fans expressed their displeasure. A lot of displeasure.

Soto spent the 2024 season with the New York Yankees, forming one of the best one-two offensive punches in baseball history with Aaron Judge. Soto's outstanding season helped the Yankees reach the World Series, coming up short to the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

Soto made it clear during the season he would explore any team who wanted to offer him a contract. And boy did the New York Mets offer him a contract: 15 years, $765 million, with incentives pushing the total figure potentially over $800 million. Soto moved across town to Queens.

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It’s hard to fault him for taking that contract. Well, it’s hard if you’re not a Yankees fan. And Yankees fans absolutely let him have it on Friday night. At every possible opportunity.

NEW YORK - New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (22) looks on from right field during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on May 16, 2025. Photo: John Jones-Imagn Images

Yankees Fans Gave Juan Soto An Epic Bronx Cheer

Even in pregame introductions, the Yankee Stadium crowd was deafening when Soto's name was announced.

Things got even louder when he came to the plate for his first at bat in the top of the first inning. Soto, doing his best to troll the crowd, tipped his cap.

Soto knew this was coming, telling the New York Post this week that he expected a big reaction. "It's going to be 50,000 against 1," Soto said. "They're going to try to get on me, you know. It's part of it. Whatever they do, they have a right to do it ... It's going to be good. We're going to have a good time."

Booing him at every opportunity is what most fan bases would do; he left for more money from one of their team's biggest rivals. What did they do when Soto went to right field though? That's where Yankees fans showed why they're some of the worst in the sport.

The "bleacher creatures" in right field, who chanted his name less than a year ago, turned their back on him.

There's no other way to describe it, that's an embarrassing, childish way to handle it.

Soto didn't let the boos get to him, walking in both of his first two plate appearances and coming around to score the Mets' first run to cut the Yankees lead to 4-1 in the fourth inning. He's still a very, very good player.

Through the first month and a half of the 2025 Major League Baseball season, Soto's decision has worked out well for both teams. The Mets sit in first place in the National League East at 28-16, while the Yankees are in first in the American League East at 25-18, with baseball's best run differential.

Not to mention that Soto's much, much richer, and Yankees fans now get to do what they enjoy the most: vociferously booing opposing players.