Juan Soto stole his 30th base of the season last night for the Mets, which catapulted him into the 30/30 club for the first time in his career. He became the 48th different MLB player to reach the 30/30 plateau, the fifth different Met to do so, and the first Met to accomplish the feat since Francisco Lindor in 2023.
With the Mets down 7-2 in the top of the eighth, Soto caught the Phillies napping and stole third base. He was eventually stranded there when Mark Vientos flew out to end the inning.
Soto, who had never stolen more than 12 bases in a season, has now shattered his career high and shows no signs of slowing. Soto is also two home runs away from becoming the first Met to ever join the 40/30 club. Only 48 different players have ever reached 30/30, with 16 doing so more than once in their career—Soto will seek to become the 17th next season, should he continue looking for opportunities to steal bases.
Howard Johnson was the first Met to join the 30/30 club when he hit 36 home runs and swiped 32 bags in 1987. He would go on to do it again in 1989 (36, 41) and 1991 (38, 30). Darryl Strawberry also reached 30/30 in 1987 when he hit 39 home runs and stole 36 bases, making them the only pair of Mets teammates to reach 30/30 in the same season. Lindor, who hit 31 homers and stole 31 bases in 2023, is looking to become the second Met to reach 30/30 multiple times—he needs four more home runs and two more stolen bases. Last year, he missed 30/30 by one stolen base. And lest we forget the Captain, David Wright had his only 30-30 season in 2007, when he hit 30 home runs and stole 34 bases.
There hasn’t been a lot to cheer about lately for the Mets, as they’ve seen their playoff cushion evaporate and are quickly sinking in the standings as they look to hold on to the final postseason spot in the NL. In tough times like these, it is important to recognize and cherish these fun achievements and realize how special and rare these kinds of seasons are. Soto, after a tough start, has put together an MVP-worthy campaign. He is currently slashing .261/.399/.522 with 38 homers, 109 runs scored, 94 runs batted in, and a 157 wRC+ in 143 games.
