NEW YORK — Mets had been 0-for-2, which extended his hitless streak to 12 at-bats before stepping to the plate in the fifth inning in Friday’s 4-3 win against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field.

Nobody will live under a tighter microscope in New York sports than Juan Soto. Leaving the New York Yankees for the New York Mets made it a large enough story. Tack on 765 million more reasons with his record-breaking contract and it’s no surprise why he’s going to be an everyday talking point among sports fans.

Fans at Citi Field already had grown restless over Juan Soto’s early-season slump, but the home crowd cheered the $765 million man as he strode to the plate with a runner on third base and the Mets trailing by one run in the fifth inning Friday night.