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.

Juan Soto is held to an incredibly high standard, which tends to happen when you sign a $765 million contract. Actually, scratch that. No one had ever signed a $765 million contract to play a team sport before Soto did with the New York Mets in December.

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.