CINCINNATI — Juan Soto received parting gifts from a young fan after signing an autograph for him two weeks ago in Seattle.
One item was a Michael Jordan rookie card.
If that wasn’t enough, Soto also received a light blue Spider-Man mask that he didn’t give much of a second thought.
Soto kept the mask with him on the road trip.
By the time the Mets reached San Diego, players began goofing, wearing it in the clubhouse, and upon rookie Carson Benge’s suggestion last week a new Mets celebration was unveiled.
Since Friday, a player hitting a home run has worn the mask for the dugout celebration.
The Mets homered five times in winning two of three games against the Braves and were looking toward many more celebrations as they opened a series Monday at hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park.
“It hurts a little bit because it’s a little tight on the sides,” Soto said before the Mets faced the Reds. “But it worked.”
Bo Bichette (twice), Soto, A.J. Ewing and Marcus Semien were the four Mets players who had worn the mask as Monday’s play began.
The mask replaced the ritual of a Met wearing a construction hard hat and orange vest following a home run.
“Just switch something up,” Benge said. “What’s the worst that can happen?”
Certainly, it can’t hurt.
The remaining Mets from the team’s 2024 postseason surge can attest to the power of Grimace — the purple McDonald’s character who became a symbol of the team’s turnaround.
The Mets began play 32-39, last in the NL East and in need of any kind of boost.
“We’re just trying to have fun,” Semien said. “These games get very serious, and you can be very hard on yourself, and if you can keep it light and have fun, laugh a little, it makes it better.”
The Spider-Man mask has received manager Carlos Mendoza’s endorsement — as long as it’s on display often.
“Keep hitting homers; I like to see it there,” Mendoza said.
Bichette’s breakout in the Braves series was welcomed by a team that has yet to receive consistent production from the veteran infielder.
But the Mets also received plenty of all-around contributions in what had to be considered their biggest series win of the season, given the Braves owned MLB’s best record.
The only other series victory that might compare for the Mets was last month’s victories in two of three games against the Yankees at Citi Field.
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“[The mask] is something that we have fun with, but at the end of the day we have got to get the job done,” Soto said. “We have to play baseball, and we have to play hard. That’s the one thing that separates sometimes. It separates the celebration here and there. We just have to keep playing good baseball. We have to keep it up.”
It’s a team fighting to stay healthy.
The latest injury setback was Christian Scott’s placement Monday on the injured list with a hip impingement.
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The starting pitcher joins Francisco Lindor (calf), Jorge Polanco (ankle) and Luis Robert Jr. (back) among the key players sidelined.
But the Mets are hopeful Lindor, who is continuing workouts in Queens, will return perhaps as early as next week.
For Soto, the Spider-Man mask has struck a chord given his affection for the superhero (who given his Queens roots identifies as a Mets fan on the big screen).
“I have watched the movies, and I have actually played the video games,” Soto said. “Spider-Man is cool.”
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