In the fourth inning, after the Cubs finally got on the board on a solo home run by right fielder Kyle Tucker, Mets slugger Juan Soto answered back with one of his own. On the seventh pitch of his at-bat against Cubs starter Jameson Taillon, Soto hit a two-out 434-foot home run to the Shea Bridge in center field to give New York a 6-1 lead.

Francisco Lindor led off with the first of New York’s four solo homers and the Mets rolled to a 7-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Friday night in the opener of a three-game series. Brett Baty and Jeff McNeil went deep in the second while Juan Soto homered in the fourth to help the Mets improve to 14-3 at Citi Field.

On a cold, rain-slicked Friday night in Flushing, the crack of Francisco Lindor’s bat cut through the gloom like a lightning bolt over Citi Field. Jameson Taillon’s first inning offering didn’t just land in the seats—it ignited the New York Mets’ offense and set the tone for a 7-2 takedown of the Chicago Cubs.