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.

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.

Before his third at-bat on Friday night, the Citi Field crowd gave Juan Soto a standing ovation before the slugger hit an RBI single in the Mets' eventual 5-4 win over the Cardinals.