Soto's San Diego return 'brings a lot of memories back'

This browser does not support the video element.

SAN DIEGO -- It wasn¡¯t even two years ago that Juan Soto first raced from the home dugout to right field at Petco Park. He was greeted with a rousing ovation by Padres fans who hoped he might wear brown and gold long into the future.

On Friday, the reception wasn¡¯t nearly so kind -- though Soto wasted little time providing those fans in the right-field seats with a memorable souvenir.

Making his return to San Diego, Soto launched a two-run homer in his second at-bat, as the Yankees opened their series against the Padres with an 8-0 victory. He finished the game 2-for-4 with a walk and a double in addition to his 14th home run of the season.

It came after he received a full-throated response from the Petco Park crowd in each of his at-bats -- mostly boos, some cheers.

¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting cheers or boos, but they did both,¡± Soto said afterward. ¡°I was right in the middle. That¡¯s very cool. That¡¯s fine.¡±

Friday marked Soto¡¯s first game against the Padres since the December blockbuster that sent him to New York. He seems to have found a home in the Bronx, where he has re-established his MVP credentials, hitting .315/.413/.581 in 53 games.

But clearly, there¡¯s a place in his heart for San Diego.

This browser does not support the video element.

¡°Seeing the ballpark, seeing the city and everything, it just brings a lot of memories back,¡± Soto said, speaking before the game. ¡°I had a playoff run here, in a really cool city, really cool fanbase, I¡¯m feeling great to be back.¡±

Based on the response from the crowd, the feeling wasn¡¯t entirely mutual, though Soto was greeted warmly by a handful of his former teammates before the game. He even left a note in right field for Fernando Tatis Jr. after the eighth inning. (The contents of the note were not disclosed, but Tatis had robbed Soto of extra bases with a catch at the wall an inning prior.)

¡°It was something cool,¡± Soto said with a grin. ¡°He enjoyed it.¡±

This browser does not support the video element.

¡°We're facing each other now -- I'm not friends anymore,¡± Tatis said before the game, laughing. ¡°Nah, not me, I love Juan. He's a great guy, and he's a great baseball player. But we're in different uniforms now, so on the field it's a little bit different."

Speaking before Friday¡¯s series opener, Soto recounted the fateful weeks leading up to the trade. He noted that he didn¡¯t think he¡¯d actually be dealt until about a week prior to the deal. The Padres were desperate for starting pitching and salary relief. The Yankees had starting pitching in abundance and needed a middle-of-the-order bat, preferably a corner outfielder.

At the Winter Meetings, the deal came together. Soto and Trent Grisham for five players, including right-hander Michael King and righty prospect Drew Thorpe (who was packaged in a separate deal that sent Dylan Cease to the Padres). On Friday, Soto was again asked about the possibility he might¡¯ve remained in San Diego long-term.

This browser does not support the video element.

¡°Man, this is a great city,¡± Soto said. ¡°It¡¯s a great fanbase, a great team, great organization. It was unbelievable for me. We never got that chance to keep talking a little bit farther, with the Padres. But it was a great team, a great fanbase. At the end of the day, we just couldn¡¯t get it done, and you just keep moving forward.¡±

This browser does not support the video element.

He¡¯s moved forward in a big way in New York. By all accounts, the fit has been perfect. Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked if Soto has been even better than he could¡¯ve imagined. His answer? No, not really. He always knew Soto was pretty darn good.

But ¡­

¡°I think what I¡¯ve enjoyed is what I believe is a really good teammate, a guy who¡¯s been a good person in the room,¡± said Boone. ¡°He¡¯s about winning. All those kind of things -- the intangible things, the behind-the-scenes things -- that¡¯s what¡¯s gotten me the most excited.¡±

Said Soto of his time in New York so far: ¡°It¡¯s been great. It¡¯s been great vibes in that clubhouse, an unbelievable group in there. We feel really happy and excited to be in the spot we are. Everybody knows what we want, and we¡¯re all pulling the same way in the room. Mainly, it¡¯s just the great vibes.¡±

This browser does not support the video element.

The vibes weren¡¯t always so great during Soto¡¯s stint in the home clubhouse at Petco Park. The Padres reached the postseason in 2022, and Soto was a key contributor. But San Diego massively underperformed expectations in ¡®23, missing the postseason despite World Series ambitions.

Soto, for his part, was the Padres¡¯ best hitter last year. He finished sixth in MVP voting. Then again, Soto sets higher standards than that. He made that clear when he was asked what he expected the fan reaction to be this weekend.

¡°I really don¡¯t know,¡± he said. ¡°It's tough for me, because they were right there every day for me. I tried my best. I played hard every day. But I didn't play at my best. That's one of the things I was sad about. I couldn't show them how great I can be.¡±

Two months into his tenure with the Yankees, he¡¯s leaving little doubt.

More from MLB.com

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com