After all, Soto's presence ahead of Judge in the Yankees' lineup did create more opportunities for the latter to bat with a man on base. He saw more pitches to hit accordingly, so of course he went off for a 58-homer, 144-RBI season that netted him his second American League MVP.

The New York Yankees relied on the man wearing No. 22 in big moments last season. That's true this season, too, with the big left-handed hitter helping balance out a lineup with righty superstar Aaron Judge.

The right fielder was 5-for-10 in his previous three games against the St. Louis Cardinals, including a two-run double that gave the Mets a 5-3 lead in Sunday’s win. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza pointed to that hit as a “good sign” that Soto was about to break out.