Carlos Mendoza sacrifices himself to save a furious Juan Soto from expulsion
Tensions flared at Petco Park on Monday night during the New York Mets' game when manager Carlos Mendoza was forced to step in to protect his star player, Juan Soto, in a heated argument. In an act of sacrifice that cost him his own ejection, Mendoza charged at the home plate umpire to prevent Soto's obvious frustration from escalating into a direct ejection from the gameThe incident occurred in the third inning, with Juan Soto visibly enraged after an at-bat that ended with a called third strike, a pitch that, according to the replay, could barely have grazed the outside edge. However, Soto's displeasure with umpire Emil Jimenez seemed to go beyond that single pitch, suggesting an accumulation of complaints that could have consequences at any time. Mendoza's intervention was a clear attempt to deflect attention and absorb the ire […]