Juan Soto Blames Turf for a Routine Play That Turned Into a Mets Disaster

The New York Mets lost again Monday night, 2-1 to the Toronto Blue Jays, but the score barely tells the story. The real damage happened in the first inning, when a routine fly ball turned into a Little League home run and the internet had a field day.

George Springer hit a line drive to left field at Rogers Centre. Juan Soto charged hard, but the ball bounced weird off the artificial turf and skipped past him. Rookie center fielder AJ Ewing couldn’t corral it near the wall either. By the time anyone touched the ball, Springer was rounding third. No throw. Officials scored it a triple and an error on Ewing, but everyone watching knew the whole sequence was a mess.

After the game, SNY Mets posted Soto’s explanation on X. The veteran outfielder didn’t dodge the mistake but pointed to the surface.

“When you have an outfield like that, that it bounce a lot, you have to be aware because you can give up extra base hits really easy,” Soto said.

It’s a fair point. The turf at Rogers Centre plays differently than grass, and Soto isn’t the first outfielder to get burned by it. But that doesn’t change the fact that a play most MLB outfielders make in their sleep turned into a three-base adventure.

The clip spread fast. MLFootball posted it with a caption that called it “one of the worst plays in professional sports you will ever see.” That might be hyperbolic, but not by much. The Mets have become a punchline this season, and plays like this aren’t helping.

Francisco Lindor did hit a solo home run to get the Mets on the board. That was it. One run. A 2-1 loss that felt worse than the margin suggests.

The loss dropped the Mets to 35-50. They’ve lost nine of their last ten games. The season is circling the drain, and every night seems to bring a new low. Monday’s low just happened to involve their $765 million man chasing a ball that bounced the wrong way.

Soto didn’t make excuses beyond the turf. He said he needs to read the surface better. That’s probably true. But for a team already buried in the standings and watching its defense fall apart, these little moments add up fast.