The New York Mets had a difficult task opening the 2025 season on the road against the Houston Astros, who have won the AL West eight of the last nine years and still have one of the best teams in the major leagues.

Soto, 26, who signed a record-breaking 15-year, $756 million contract in December, and Holmes, 32, played for the New York Yankees in 2024. The Mets signed them in an attempt to bolster their roster after falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series last year.

HOUSTON (AP) — Juan Soto hit his first homer with the New York Mets, helping his new team beat the Houston Astros 3-1 on Friday night. With two out in the third inning, Soto drove a 1-2 pitch from Hunter Brown deep to right for a solo shot that lifted New York to a 3-0 lead.