Juan Soto called out after ball gets stuck in Angels fielder’s glove
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One of baseball’s strangest situations led to a controversial call at first base in Sunday afternoon’s matchup between the Los Angeles Angels and New York Mets.
Mets star outfielder Juan Soto had Nolan Schanuel ground the ball to first base and the fielder got the ball stuck in the netting of his glove — the oddity in question.
Schanuel was trying to run a double play, but after realizing he couldn’t get the ball out of his glove, he decided to ground Soto to first base to secure the out.
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Juan Soto of the New York Mets reacts after hitting an RBI single during the fifth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Opening Day at Citi Field in New York City on March 26, 2026. (Ishika Samant/Getty Images)
But Soto was booking toward the first base line, and Schanuel was forced to throw to pitcher Jack Kochanowicz, who covered the bag, with the ball still in the net. It was a very close game, but the umpire signaled Soto out in the top of the third inning, despite the frenzy that ensued in just a few seconds.
But although Soto generally believed he was safe, the Mets were yelling toward the field, saying Kochanowicz never fully secured Schanuel’s glove, and Soto was waving the glove as he crossed first base.
No one could blame Mets manager Carlos Mendoza for defying the call on the field, but he told the umpires to go ahead; It’s an interesting move considering what happened before the game on Saturday night.
Mendoza was criticized for not defying a call in Saturday’s 4-3 loss to the Angels; Considering the decisive run by Los Angeles, this may have resulted in a different outcome.
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New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza returns to the bench after a pitching change during the seventh inning against the Washington Nationals on April 29, 2026 at Citi Field in New York City. (Heather Khalifa/Getty Images)
While Jo Adell struck out to right-center field with two outs in the bottom of the first inning, Mets right fielder Austin Slater grounded out to Bo Bichette at third base and tagged out Jorge Soler to end the inning. But more importantly, Bichette’s tag to Soler was placed before the Angels scored in replays.
However, Mendoza never objected to the call and it ultimately hurt his team.
“[The replay room] Mendoza told reporters after the game that he “missed it” when asked about the challenge. “We called and he missed it. [Replay analyst] harrison [Friedland] He’s one of the best in the business and you know when you lose by one run it turns into a big game.
“I also think we had our luck and didn’t capitalize on it.”
Luckily for the Mets, this failure to compete didn’t hurt them, and they eventually defeated the Angels 5-1 to go 12-22 on the season.
Los Angeles Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel runs to second base in the first inning against the New York Mets at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., on May 2, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
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It’s been a rough start to the 2026 season for New York, who many expected to challenge for a playoff berth. Instead, they went on a 12-game losing streak recently and are now struggling to get back to at least .500.
The Mets need some things on the diamond to go their way, but not challenging reviewable plays like this is one way they can turn the momentum in their favor.
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