Juan Soto tied his career high with six RBI, highlighted by his first grand slam with the Mets, as New York outslugged the Detroit Tigers, 10-8, in the series opener on Monday afternoon at Comerica Park.
The Mets trailed early after Sean Manaea gave up a leadoff homer and a two-run shot in the third. But New York answered in the fourth, when Soto crushed a grand slam to right, flipping a 3-2 deficit into a 6-3 lead. Detroit quickly closed the gap, forcing Carlos Mendoza to pull Manaea after 3.2 shaky innings in which he allowed five runs on eight hits.
With the score tied at six in the sixth, Soto struck again. His two-out, two-run triple put the Mets back in front, and he scored moments later on Brandon Nimmo’s single to extend the lead to 9-6. Luisangel Acuña, recalled earlier in the day, added a spark in the seventh by stealing second and later scoring on Brett Baty’s groundout.
The Tigers kept the pressure on late, scoring once in the seventh and again in the eighth to cut the margin to 10-8. Brooks Raley bridged the gap to closer Edwin DÃaz, who recorded a four-out save to seal the win.
Soto finished 2-for-3 with a walk, giving him 36 homers and 90 RBI on the year. He surpassed Mickey Mantle for the most career games (116) with both a home run and a walk before age 27.
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The series continues Tuesday at 6:40 p.m., with rookie Nolan McLean (3-0, 0.89 ERA) set to start for New York.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].