Juan Soto 'all-in' on move into Mets' leadoff spot: 'Anything to help the team out'

Juan Soto had only batted in the leadoff spot three times in his big-league career prior to this week. But when Carlos Mendoza approached him with the idea of moving him there to set the tone for the shorthanded Mets offense, he was all-in. "I told him right away, whatever he wants," Soto said.

"Wherever he wants me I'll be there -- anything I can do to help the team out, I'm going to be open to it. " Soto went hitless in his return to the spot on Monday, but he was able to do some damage against Michael Lorenzen to open the ballgame Wednesday night. Just three pitches into the game, he crushed a low-and-away curveball 435 feet to left-center for a solo blast.

It was the first leadoff homer of Soto's career. "It's great," he said. "To be able to punch first in the first inning with the team is always great -- it gets the guys going and helps the starter sit and breathe a little starting the game with the lead, it's definitely great.

" That was Soto's only hit in the ballgame, but he did drive in another run with a sacrifice fly as the bottom of the Mets' order got things going this time in the middle innings. New York struck for three in the fourth, four in the sixth, and two in the ninth in a much-needed 10-run outburst . The five-through-nine hitters combined to produce 10 of the team's 15 hits, while scoring eight runs and driving in five.