Soto Comes Inches Short as Padres Hold Off Mets in Dramatic Clash

Juan Soto's bid for a game-tying homer fell foul by inches in a dramatic seventh-inning sequence as the San Diego Padres beat the New York Mets 7-4 at Citi Field on Sept. 17, 2025.

Facing Padres ace Mason Miller, Soto fouled off a 101.2 mph fastball, then saw a 102.7 mph heater, and in a 1-1 count he took a slider in the dirt before Miller delivered a 102.6 mph fastball on the outside of the plate in a 2-2 count. The ball then sliced and stayed foul by inches, prompting Mets manager Carlos Mendoza to call it one of the more entertaining at-bats Citi Field will see this year. Soto pushed his swing through, but the ball did not stay fair long enough.

The moment wasn’t just a single at-bat. Earlier in the seventh, Francisco Alvarez lifted a home run to right-center and Cedric Mullins drew a walk before Francisco Lindor popped out in what was then a 6-4 game, as San Diego’s bullpen was called upon to stop the Mets’ rally. It was the Padres’ flame-throwing reliever who faced Soto and Mets slugger Pete Alonso in the big spot, a sequence underscoring the game’s significance in a crowded NL wild-card race. Soto, who already had tied his career high with 41 homers in the season’s fifth, stepped in with the tying run on deck and the crowd jacked up by the prospect of a back-and-forth finish.

“I knew it had enough power to go out,” Soto said afterward. “Just didn’t know how long it was going to stay fair.” The remarks followed a sequence in which the ball, after Soto fouled off a pair of hard heaters, finally found its fate by inches down the left-field line. “He’s pretty good,” Soto added, referring to Miller, whose fastball has been a consistent headache for opponents this season.

In the seventh, Padres manager Mike Shildt summoned his hard-throwing closer to face Soto and Alonso, aiming to minimize the Mets’ late-innings impact. The move underscored the tension of a game between the second and third wild-card holders in the NL, with San Diego seeking a valuable divisional deadline win and New York trying to gain ground in the race for a postseason berth. Francisco Alvarez then added to the Padres’ cushion with a homer to right-center, and Mullins drew another walk before Lindor popped out as the Mets continued to chase.

The Mets’ late surge never fully materialized. New York did push for a ninth-inning comeback, bringing Soto back to the plate as the tying run against Padres closer Robert Suárez, but Soto’s comebacker ended the threat and sealed the 7-4 outcome. The loss dropped the Mets further in the tight NL standings while keeping San Diego in a strong position in the wild-card race. The game’s sequence—Soto’s near-miss, the Miller-led onslaught in the seventh, and the Padres’ bullpen shutdown—was a vivid reminder of how thin the line can be between momentum and defeat in late-season play.

The night also highlighted the velocity barometer surrounding Miller. Entering the game, there had been 294 pitches of at least 102 mph recorded this season, a testament to Miller’s place among the league’s hardest throwers. Earlier this season, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. homered off Miller on a high-velocity heater, a reminder that the risk-reward of challenging his fastball remains a defining feature of Padres-Mets matchups. Soto’s 41st homer of the season in the fifth provided one of the night’s bright spots for the Mets, even as the club could not close the gap.

As the teams pack away the gloves and cleats for the night, the implications linger. The Padres move deeper into the wild-card conversation and closer to the frontrunners in their division, while the Mets, facing a stretch of crucial late-season games, must refocus after a heartbreaking near-miss. Soto’s near-miss will likely linger in the memories of Mets fans, serving as a potent reminder of how a single at-bat can tilt a game in a tight postseason race.