Juan Soto's first-inning outfield miscue became the defining moment of the New York Mets' 2-1 defeat to the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night.
What happened?
The play developed in the bottom of the first when George Springer lined a ball into left field at the Rogers Centre.
Soto charged hard, but the ball skipped off the artificial turf and got past him.
Rookie center fielder AJ Ewing then misplayed it near the wall, allowing Springer to race around the bases without a throw.
Why it matters for Juan Soto
Officials scored the play as a triple and an error on Ewing.
Francisco Lindor later supplied the Mets' only run with a solo homer, but the early defensive breakdown gave the Blue Jays enough separation.
After the game, Soto discussed the challenge of reading the surface in Toronto, saying "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".
What comes next?
The defeat dropped the club to 35-50 on the season, marking their ninth loss in the last 10 games.
The Mets' late-June slide has added another rough moment to a 2026 season already filled with frustration and renewed scrutiny on the club's overall defense.
Soto did not dismiss the mistake after the loss, pointing to the difficult bounce while explaining the need to anticipate the surface better.
The sequence also spread quickly on social media, with ML Football reacting on X as the play drew attention beyond the baseball audience.
And the Mets will look to bounce back from this tough loss, with Soto's outfield play a key area of focus.
So the Mets' defense will be under the microscope in their next game.
But for now, the team is left to ponder what could have been if Soto had made the play.
The Mets' next game is a chance for them to turn things around and get back on track.