LOS ANGELES -- The Juan Soto the New York Mets expected when they gave him the richest contract in sports history finally appeared in his purest form Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium by stealing the show without even putting the ball in play.

There always figured to be something of an adjustment period for Juan Soto after he signed a 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets this offseason, and he suggested as much ahead of Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“One of the things that Juan Soto really wanted to work on this season was his throwing. He thought it could get better. And so this spring the Mets actually put him in the pitching lab for a day and gave him a full evaluation the same way they would any pitcher. They figured out that his throwing motion was pretty messed up.