Yankee Stadium's bleacher creatures welcome Juan Soto back with perfect gesture

Look at this. The drama and moment living up to the hype. Juan Soto returning to the Bronx to face Yankees fans with the Mets in town for the Subway Series. It was getting plenty of attention, and it's now arrived as anticipated.

Soto was boo'ed during his first trip to the plate on Friday night. He tipped his cap to the crowd and the boos only got louder. Yankees fans weren't messing around at all. But while tensions were certainly high, it all had a pleasant competitive air to it.

Why? Because Yankee Stadium's bleacher creatures had the perfect gesture for Soto when he took the field in the bottom of the first inning. Like we told you, Yankees fans feel betrayed for good reason. It's not all theater.

So what did they do? Exactly what they felt Soto did to them this past offseason: turned their backs. The YES broadcast was generous enough to give up some advertising dollars for the sake of the moment. Instead of cutting to commercial, they kept the cameras on Soto as he made his way out to right field in front of a hostile army of fans.

Yankee Stadium boos Juan Soto in return to Bronx during Subway Series

Soto, like we all knew, didn't seem to be outwardly fazed by it, but it's quite possible it resonated with him in some capacity. Instead of showering him with even more expletives than they probably were, they busted out a coordinated response that had meaning behind it. See, they don't show up to the games that drunk!

In speaking with the media Thursday, Soto said he was ready for the vitriol from Yankees fans and touched upon his decision to sign with the Mets this offseason. On that topic, Aaron Judge said he "tried to do his part" in regard to convincing Soto to stay. After all was said and done, Soto turned down the Yankees' $760 million offer and agreed to a $765 million contract (with $40 million in escalators) with the Mets.

But it made for a good story. There are still five of these games left, and both teams figure to be in World Series contention.

For the rest of time, Major League Baseball will be able to use the above clips in future advertisements for "Rivalry Weekend". The inaugural 2025 event started with an incredible game between the Rangers and Astros on Thursday night, and then resumed with Soto showing face in one of the league's most hostile environments. And there's plenty more to come.