Juan Soto and MacKenzie Gore were involved in the same trade nearly three years ago, and it appears that has established a friendly rivalry between the two players.
Gore started for the Washington Nationals in their game against the New York Mets on Tuesday night at Citi Field in Queens, N.Y.. The left-hander was mostly solid with five hits and two earned runs allowed across six innings, but the Mets won the game 5-4 in 10 innings.
One of the runs Gore allowed was a solo home run to Soto in the bottom of the third inning. As he rounded the bases, Soto blatantly stared Gore down.
Juan Soto gets the Mets within one as he homers off Mackenzie Gore, whom he was once traded for! pic.twitter.com/74caqhcito
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 11, 2025
Soto also appeared to say something to Gore, who struck him out in the first inning. When asked after the game about the exchange, Soto did not offer much.
“We were saying hi to each other. That’s it,” Soto said.
Juan Soto on the words he exchanged with MacKenzie Gore as he rounded the bases on his homer:
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) June 11, 2025
"We were saying hi to each other. That's it."
Gore was also asked about the apparent tension between him and Soto.
“We always go back and forth. That’s nothing bad or anything,” Gore said. “He got me. It had been a while and he got me. He earned it.”
MacKenzie Gore put up another impressive start tonight.
— Nationals on MASN (@masnNationals) June 11, 2025
The lefty after the game. pic.twitter.com/iLyKIS3bKW
Soto faced Gore once when the slugger was with the New York Yankees last season, and the pitcher won that battle. Soto went 0-for-4 in the game.
Gore began his MLB career with the San Diego Padres. He and several other players were traded to the Washington Nationals in 2022 in exchange for Soto and Josh Bell.
Gore is 3-5 this season with a 2.88 ERA. Soto got off to a slow start in his first season with the Mets, but he has been heating up lately. The $765 million man is batting .248 with 12 home runs and 33 RBI.
