THE NEW YORK METS reached a milestone when they completed their final homestand of the 2025 season last weekend: 3,182,057 fans had passed through the turnstiles, setting a single-season attendance record at Citi Field.

But the homestand, as far as it mattered in the standings, was a horror show. Battling to hold on to the final wild-card playoff spot in the National League, the Mets lost two of three to the Texas Rangers, took two of three from the playoff-bound San Diego Padres, then lost control of their postseason destiny after inexplicably dropping two of three games in a slapdash performance against the lowly Washington Nationals.

The sellout crowd at Sunday’s loss, in turn, serenaded the Mets with boos.

It was also rough at times for Juan Soto. Against the Nationals, the organization that first signed and developed him, he delivered two multihit games, a tying ninth-inning single, a home run, and two steals. But he also made his first error of the season, a costly mistake that allowed a run to score in Friday’s extra-inning loss, and was caught stealing in Sunday’s one-run defeat. It felt fitting in what has been a topsy-turvy first season as a Met for the highest-paid free agent in baseball history.

While spirited fans — encouraged by the progress under owner Steve Cohen’s watch, and fresh off the high of the team’s captivating 2024 run to the NL Championship Series — filled the ballpark eager to watch a World Series contender, the club with the second-most expensive roster in the majors went from holding the best record in baseball in mid-June to floundering so badly for three-plus months that a historic collapse from the postseason picture is very conceivable with five road games left.

Individually, Soto emerged from a sluggish start by his standards, which drew relentless scrutiny, to register one of the best seasons in his new franchise’s history, an MVP-level output that has helped keep the Mets’ postseason dreams afloat. But their roller-coaster ride of a season will now require a spectacular finish, reminiscent of last season, when they clinched a playoff berth and won a wild-card series on the same three-city trip. Returning to Citi Field in October will also almost certainly require a trip to Los Angeles to face the defending champion Dodgers in a three-game wild-card series.

Soto, the Mets’ $765 million man, will be front and center.

After his turbulent introduction to Queens, Soto lately has looked as if he’s finally feeling at home as he plays for his fourth team in four seasons. But ask him, and that’s not quite the case — at least not yet.

“It’s a little better,” Soto said in Spanish last week.

So, when will it feel like home?

“Soon,” Soto said. “Soon.”

What if the free-falling Mets stun the baseball world and win the World Series?

“Maybe,” Soto said. “Maybe.”

AFTER HELPING LEAD the New York Yankees to the World Series in his lone season in the Bronx, Soto joined the Mets this year relieved to finally find a permanent home. But the beginning of his potential 15-year stay across town was rocky.

“It was a little uncomfortable at the beginning,” Soto said. “It was difficult.”

Early in the season, Soto did not produce the kind of results fans had expected. He batted .224 with a .745 OPS in his first 55 games. The numbers were uglier in 57 plate appearances with runners in scoring position: a slash line of .130/.228/.239 that defied his stout underlying numbers. His body language was examined from every angle. External noise blared on the airwaves as he acknowledged not feeling comfortable upon arriving with outsized expectations.

“It’s honestly insane and really disrespectful with how people were kind of talking and treating him earlier in the year,” Mets first baseman Pete Alonso said.

Then, as the calendar flipped to June, Soto shuffled into form.

Soto has slashed .291/.426/.611 in 100 games since May 30, when he snapped an 0-for-17 skid with two hits. His 1.036 OPS over the span ranks third in the majors behind A’s rookie sensation Nick Kurtz and former Yankees teammate Aaron Judge. His 34 home runs are third. His .426 on-base percentage is second. His 81 walks is tied with Judge atop the field.

“He doesn’t throw away at-bats,” Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor said. “There aren’t at-bats that are lost with him. You feel like all the at-bats are big, that each one is an important at-bat. He’s done a spectacular job all year.”

Last week, Soto became the second player to record three straight 100-RBI seasons, all with a different team, since RBIs became an official statistic in 1920, according to ESPN Research. He is six RBIs shy of tying his career high of 110 and has already established two other prominent career marks. One, belting 42 home runs to eclipse his total with the Yankees last season, was on the bingo card. The other, stealing 36 bases to record the first 40/30 season in Mets history, was not.

The base Soto swiped for his 30th steal this season, a feat he reached at Citizens Bank Park earlier this month, sat at his locker during the final homestand. The keepsake represented a constant desire to defy doubters. Soto never stole more than 12 bases in a season before 2025, but he reported to spring training with an unexpected goal.

“He asked me if I think he could steal 30 bases,” Mets first base coach Antoan Richardson said. “And I told him no. I said you’re slow. But I said you get on base enough so you might have an opportunity to do it.”

Richardson is not wrong. Soto is slow relative to his big league peers; his average sprint speed this season ranks 503rd among 572 players across the majors. But Soto was resolute. He wanted to steal more bases. So Richardson worked with Soto on acceleration and on reading pitchers, eventually giving Soto the confidence to let loose on the basepaths. In 42 games through May 12, Soto stole two bases on two attempts. He’s 34-for-38 since May 13.

“A lot of people think that I can only hit,” Soto said. “I think I can do a lot more than hitting.”

Soto’s progress as a base stealer was met with a steep defensive regression. Soto has stated his top goal — even above winning an MVP award — is a Gold Glove, but the metrics indicate he has been one of the worst right fielders in the majors this season. His minus-11 outs above average rank 24th and his minus-7 defensive runs save sit 20th among the 26 players with at least 500 innings logged at the position, though he wasn’t charged with an error this season until Saturday. The deficiency surfaced to bite the Mets on Tuesday when Soto misplayed a fly ball at the warning track at Wrigley Field that should’ve ended the first inning, but instead plated two runs for the Chicago Cubs.

“It wasn’t the best year for my defense,” Soto acknowledged last week.

Soto’s bat has largely compensated for the flaw when the Mets needed the production most: He’s batting .346 with a 1.127 OPS, seven home runs and 10 steals on 13 attempts in September.

“He’s an amazing hitter,” Mets left fielder Brandon Nimmo said. “He’s very professional. He has been the whole season, even down in spring training, so you’re just seeing exactly who he is.”

Mets co-hitting coach Jeremy Barnes explained Soto made a mechanical adjustment about a month ago seeking to stay through the ball better and not push himself back toward the catcher. Barnes said that has allowed Soto to lift the ball more with authority and avoid hitting ground balls. That, combined with his unyielding confidence and innate plate discipline, has generated perhaps Soto’s best month as a Met, even as the team’s results have disappointed.

“There was an at-bat in Detroit [earlier this month] where he basically told the guy to be careful throwing that pitch,” Barnes recalled. “And he threw the pitch again and then he hit a home run. He’s incredible. His IQ is through the roof.”

SOTO POINTED TO one teammate who helped ease his transition the most: Starling Marte — a Met whose future with the franchise was in doubt after the team signed Soto.

Marte was the club’s primary right fielder the past three seasons. With Soto snatched from the Yankees to play right field, trade rumors swirled.

But the Mets kept Marte as their designated hitter against left-handed pitchers, a role that eventually expanded as he produced and others landed on the injured list. Along the way, he became Soto’s clubhouse confidant. The two, separated in age by 10 years, had crossed paths over their time in the majors and back home in the Dominican Republic, setting the foundation for a close relationship. As teammates, Marte found an elite talent who was willing to take constructive criticism — and give hitting advice he has incorporated into his own approach.

“Sometimes guys get bothered because you tell them things directly,” Marte said in Spanish. “But he is someone that you talk to who doesn’t get bothered and takes it well and thanks you. At first he didn’t feel very comfortable since he was new and only knew two or three guys here. He knew me so I focused more on making sure he felt that sazón Latino when you come to a new team, which is always together, always joking. So that’s what I tried to do and I’ve seen that he’s looser.”

Ryne Stanek, a nine-year veteran reliever on his fifth major league club, has been stationed next to Soto in the home clubhouse this season, a peculiarity since relievers, often the most anonymous group on a ballclub, are typically clustered together. He has noticed a slow metamorphosis in his locker neighbor.

“He’s definitely opened up more as the season’s gone on because you can tell he’s gotten more comfortable,” Stanek said. “I think a little bit of the pressure has not worn off, but he’s kind of like adiós. The pressure is out of mind. He just goes about his business in such a manner that he seems to me like the outside pressure, the noise, he’s over it. He’s just out there playing ball, having fun. It’s been cool to see him get to the position where he’s just out there having a good time.”

Evidence of a looser Soto surfaced last Tuesday when he showed up to Citi Field, after Monday’s off day, with a new look, sporting braids for the first time in his life. Mets rookie infielder Ronny Mauricio, a fellow Dominican, suggested the change and connected him with his Dominican hairstylist.

The Mets won that night, beating the Padres to open a series they would take from the contending club. The vibes were high.

But that was temporary. They were in the tank again when the Mets boarded a plane to Chicago on Sunday night knowing that they’ll need their best trip of the season to have a chance to play another game at home.

It was the latest in a season of maddening inconsistencies and underachievement. The team that took the eventual champion Dodgers to Game 6 of the NLCS and added the game’s highest-priced player somehow backtracked. The team that had the sport’s best record on June 13 somehow has the fifth worst since. But as the team stumbled, and the outside noise amplified, Soto never wavered.

“The consistency of the personality, his preparation, he never panicked,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said of Soto’s recent play in high-stakes games. “The impact that he has there with the boys, that, for me, is what makes him who he is. Special guy, special player.”

Now only one question remains: Can he help salvage his first season in orange and blue?

Guardians designated hitter David Fry sustained a broken nose and facial fractures after he was hit in the face by a pitch from Tarik Skubal in the sixth inning of Cleveland’s 5-2 win over the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday, a victory that deadlocked the American League Central race.

The Guardians said in a statement Wednesday that Fry is expected to fully recover over the next six to eight weeks. That timeline would prevent Fry from returning for a potential Guardians postseason run.

Fry will not need to undergo surgery, the team said, adding that he has been discharged from the Cleveland Clinic.

“He is doing OK. He’s in good spirits,” manager Stephen Vogt said by phone Wednesday morning after visiting Fry in the hospital. “He’s upright. He’s alert.”

Fry squared around to try to bunt a 99 mph fastball from Skubal, and the foul tip struck him in the nose and mouth area. As Fry collapsed in the batter’s box and immediately grabbed his bloodied face, a visibly shaken Skubal threw off his glove and cap as Vogt and trainers rushed onto the field.

Fry lay in the dirt for several minutes before being slowly helped to his feet. He gave a thumbs-up as he sat up and was driven off in a cart.

“It was straight to the face,” Vogt said, describing the impact on Fry that shook everyone inside Progressive Field. “We’re all thinking about David and his family right now. Obviously, we’re glad he is OK, but obviously it’s a really scary moment.”

Skubal, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, paced around the infield as Fry was being assisted. After the game, Skubal, who allowed two hits through the first five innings, said seeing Fry in distress was difficult.

“Really tough,” the left-hander said. “I’ve already reached out to him. I’m sure his phone is blowing up. I just want to make sure he’s all right. Obviously, he seemed like he was OK coming off the field, and hopefully it stays that way.

“I know sometimes with those things that can change. So hopefully he’s all right. I look forward to hopefully at some point tonight or [Wednesday] morning getting a text from him and making sure he’s all good because there’s things that are bigger than the game, and the health of him is more important than a baseball game.”

Skubal, as well as several Guardians teammates, visited Fry in the hospital Tuesday night, Vogt said.

Fry, an All-Star in 2024, underwent offseason elbow surgery and didn’t join the team until late May.

“Definitely really scary,” left fielder Steven Kwan said. “For David to even try something like that [bunt], that’s just who he is. Selfless kind of guy, and especially in a position like that, he’s a tough guy. Thankfully he had some humor when he came up, but you don’t want to see a guy that’s been with you pretty much the whole year [get hurt].

“Obviously energy-wise, just who he is as a teammate, he’s meant so much to us as a team. It’s really scary, but thankfully he had some humor coming off the field, so hopefully we get some good news.”

Fry was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday, with the Guardians recalling outfielder Johnathan Rodriguez from Triple-A Columbus.

Following the incident, Skubal threw a wild pitch to George Valera, who replaced Fry, allowing Cleveland to score. Skubal also had an error when he inexplicably tried to make a blind throw to first between his legs and was called for a balk in the sixth inning as the Guardians rallied for three runs to take a 3-2 lead without hitting a ball out of the infield.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A shoplifter has been jailed and banned from every Boots store after stealing £107,000 worth of goods from the high street chain.

Liam Hutchinson, 32, of no fixed address, was sentenced to a year in prison at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.

He was also issued with a criminal behaviour order, banning him from every Boots store in the UK for 10 years – and the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea for five years.

Metropolitan Police detectives trawled through hours of CCTV footage to find that Hutchinson had committed 99 shoplifting offences at Boots stores in the borough between May and August 2025.

Often stealing large quantities of razors and electrical items, his crimes cost the retailer £107,000 in revenue, Sergeant Jack Vine, of the Met’s volume crime team said.

“We recognised the impact Hutchinson’s actions were having on the retailer, and through working with staff, we built a strong case of evidence against him, which has been reflected in his sentencing,” he added.

“This result should act as a warning that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated, and that we will come down hard on those who show a complete disregard for the law, terrorise retail workers and cost businesses thousands of pounds.”

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Nicky Harrop, head of security, fraud, and contract management at Boots, said the company have been investing “significantly” in anti-theft measures to make sure stores “remain a safe and respectful environment” for customers and staff.

The Met says it is prioritising shoplifting, having solved 163% more cases in London compared to the same time last year.

It is also dedicating up to 80 additional officers across London’s West End, with 90 more in high-risk theft areas.