Dodgers fans laughing at Mets after Juan Soto Opening Day overreaction

All eyes were on Juan Soto, the Mets' prized offseason addition and professional sports' highest-paid man, in his debut for his new team on Opening Day. The Mets were on the road in Houston to start their season, and not only had they been receiving a lot of pre-season hype and "most improved" awards, they'd also talked a pretty big game themselves. Catcher Francisco Alvarez said confidently, before promptly getting hurt, that the Mets' lineup is better than the Los Angeles Dodgers'.

So, okay — time to see if the Mets can put their money where their mouth is, and if Soto will really add that extra something the Mets needed.

He was quick to collect his first hit off of Astros ace Framber Valdez in the top of the first and he walked twice, but the real test come in the top of the ninth with two outs and runners on the corners, with the Mets down 3-1. Soto represented the game-winning run to keep New York's Opening Day hopes alive, and he was probably the best guy they could've asked for, even if he was facing fellow lefty Josh Hader.

Soto got to a 3-0 count but didn't swing at a slider right down the middle. Then he chased a sinker upstairs, and was down to his final strike. Hader threw a slider, which Soto whiffed at to end the game.

Let the meme'ing commence.

Juan Soto's failure to make an impression in his first official game as a Met has Dodgers fans laughing

The Dodgers were, of course, in on Soto during his free agency, and reportedly offered around $600 million before he accepted $765 million to surpass Shohei Ohtani's $700 million and make himself the highest-paid man in sports. The Dodgers were never not going to make an attempt at Soto, but it makes sense that they didn't want to undermine Ohtani's contract when they paid him that much to be the centerpiece of their team.

Soto was far from deserving of as much or more than Ohtani in the first place. For how good he's been and could still be, he's simply not Ohtani. He doesn't offer the same two-way player skillset, and Ohtani already proved he's a better hitter last season when he was a full-time DH and outgunned Soto by every offensive metric except OBP.

The Dodgers were never going to give him upwards of $700 million, and they didn't need to. They're 3-0 now while the Mets are down one because their superstar couldn't come up in a huge moment. Oh, well! Until Soto and the Mets stick it to the Dodgers, LA will sit comfortably atop MLB.