SAN DIEGO — Padres fans didn’t even hesitate, booing Juan Soto the moment his name was announced in the pre-game starting lineups Friday night. The boos got louder with every step he took towards home plate, and were thunderous when he stepped into the batter’s box.

Soto hardly was solely responsible for the Padres’ embarrassing 2023 season that saw them fail to make the postseason. He wasn’t the one who vowed the Padres would win their first World Series after joining the team two years ago. Yet, he epitomized the fans’ frustration over their grossly underachieving 82-80 season.

Now that Soto is absolutely thriving in a New York Yankees’ uniform, putting up the kind of the numbers the Padres envisioned, the sellout crowd at Petco Park voiced their anger and frustration, loud and clear.

“It’s kind of tough for me because (the fans) were there every day for me,’’ Soto said before the game. “I know I tried my best. I played hard every game. But I didn’t play at my best, you know?

“And that’s one of the things I was kind of sad about, because I couldn’t show them how great I can be.’’

Soto was supposed to be the slugger that finally ended the Padres’ World Series drought, with expectations reaching surreal heights. Instead, the streak is 55 years and counting with no end in sight.

“For me, I think it’s just baseball,’’ Soto said, when asked to explain what happened. “At the end of the day, even if you have the best team on paper, you’ve got to go out and try to win games. But stuff happens.

“We didn’t have the luck on our side in 2023. We have some games when there was nothing we can do. But it is what it is. Now, it’s in the past.

“I just learn from it. Definitely, I learned a lot of things last year that is going to help me this year, and it’s going to help the group I’m around. I just take it and keep moving forward.’’

Soto, who was traded to the Padres from the Washington Nationals on Aug. 2, 2022, was never the difference-maker the Padres envisioned. They wanted to try one last year with Soto, but with financial woes that included a loan to help make payroll last fall, the Padres traded him to the Yankees on Dec. 6.

In New York, Soto has been the player the Padres thought they were getting to lead them to the promised land when they traded four prized prospects to Washington.

Soto, 25, entered Friday as the favorite to win the American League MVP award, hitting .312 with 13 homers and 41 RBI, with a .409 on-base percentage, .563 slugging percentage and .972 OPS. He has been one of the game’s most dangerous hitters with runners in scoring position, hitting .357 with a .619 slugging percentage, with three homers and 28 RBI. He added to his totals Friday night, launching a two-run home run in the third inning.

The Padres were waiting for the same production during his San Diego stint, but he hit .265 with a .893 OPS, with 41 homers and 125 RBI. Certainly good numbers, but short of expectations.

So the Padres shipped him to New York, and while players can wilt under the New York spotlight, Soto has thrived.

“He’s been pretty awesome,’’ Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “What I’ve enjoyed is what I believe is a really good teammate and a guy that’s been a really good person in our room.

“He’s about winning and all of those intangible things, the behind-the-scenes things, that’s what’s gotten me the most excited.’’

Several Padres players and coaches don’t share the same sentiments, with some questioning why Soto’s intensity and skills have accelerated since joining the Yankees. But everyone in the Padres’ clubhouse kept their public opinions positive.

“He’s been having a hell of a season,’’ Padres third baseman Manny Machado said. “So, I’m excited to see him again and see what he’s been doing first-hand. He was a big part of our last two seasons, here.’’

The Padres tried several times to sign Soto to a contract extension during his stay, but nothing ever came close to materializing before he was traded.

“Man, this is a great city, it’s a great fan base, a great team,’’ Soto said. “But at the end of the day, we just couldn’t get it done, and keep moving forward.’’

The Yankees will also try to sign him to an extension before he’s a free agent, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said last week. Yet, with free agency so close, there’s little chance he’ll consider signing before the Yankees and Mets engage in a potential bidding war that could top $500 million.

“I love it here, it’s a great city, it’s an unbelievable group in there,’’ Soto said. “I’m excited. I’m more than happy where I am right now.

“It’s just a great vibe we have in there.’’

It was the same mantra Soto expressed with the Padres, saying all the right things — how much he loved San Diego and that he didn’t want to be traded. Yet, the Padres knew they had no choice but to trade him if they wanted to slash their payroll and be competitive.

“I know that’s what he wanted, he expressed that publicly and privately that he wanted to be here,’’ Machado said. “The lines just never aligned.’’

Said Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr., one of Soto’s closest friends on the team: “Now that we’re facing each other, we’re not friends anymore. No, I love Juan. He’s a great guy. He’s a great baseball player. …

“I’m definitely not surprised what he’s doing. I knew he’d rise to the occasion. He’s that type of player.’’

Certainly, Soto should become the highest-paid free agent not named Shohei Ohtani this winter. The Mets badly crave him, knowing he can be their version of Aaron Judge. The Yankees would love to keep him, seeing the impact he has made on this year’s 35-17 team. Who knows if someone else will surprise and jump into the bidding, knowing the paycheck will start at $500 million after he rejected a 15-year, $440 million offer in 2022 from the Nationals?

“We’re going to be open to everybody,’’ Soto says, “everybody. We ain’t closing any doors. Whoever wants to talk about deals and stuff, I’m open to deal with it.

“But that’s going to be in the future.

“Right now, I’m a Yankee.’’

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

You can learn a lot about your city training for a marathon. On average, it takes 20 weeks to go from zero to 26.2 miles. For my training program, I averaged around 30 miles per week as I was ramping up, and got closer to 50 near race day. Spread out across three to five runs a week, there’s a lot of our city to take in.

My long runs often went from my cottage in Ocean Beach up through Point Loma, around Harbor Island, past the airport, down toward the Embarcadero, and past Seaport Village before turning around.

I was never alone on these runs. Free-spirited souls played guitar and spun fire on the beach near my home as groups of cyclists whizzed past me in Point Loma. Families gathered for picnics along Spanish Landing Park and the sounds of planes arriving with travelers hoping for a sunny vacation lingered overhead.

At Waterfront Park, skin-tight neon outfits and barely-there tops during CRSSD made way for cowboy-hat-wearing locals yee-hawing their way through Boots in the Park. My favorite days consisted of watching sailboats float by on the bay and megayachts visiting San Diego for the week.

No matter what month I was running, one thing was always clear: Our city loves the sun and everything under it. We’re active, but more than that, we’ve grown up here and gathered here because there’s just no place like it. Even on its worst days, this is still a place you want to come home to.

This issue is a love letter to San Diego. This month we gush over our favorite surf spots while calling out what loving those breaks means about you. Sure, Tourmaline is a longboarder’s heaven, but we’re betting you’re enjoying a few early bird specials these days. We check out the skate fashion of today’s youngsters hoping to become the next Tony Hawk, or at least land their next backside heelflip.

We hit South Mission Beach hoping to find the spirit of volleyball, and explore a new aquaponics system helping Pala Reservation grow more than 1,600 plants at a time while using 90 percent less water and land.

If you love the sun (and this issue), keep an eye out for a rebrand of our Hikey Bikey Beer newsletter, launching this month. We’re calling it Everything Under the Sun. It will still focus on active lifestyle content, but will include more things like surfing, running, climbing, sailing, pickleball, and all the things that get our heart rates up outside.

For me, after crossing the finish line for my first marathon, it was this city that I was the most grateful for. Training for the longest run of your life is just a little bit easier with nearly perfect weather year-round and all your friends outside keeping you company.

So, here’s to more adventures under the sun.

Every week from now until San Diego Comic-Con, we’re celebrating you: our readers! So let’s meet this week’s Attendee of the Week:

Cash Branson

@captcash

Where are you traveling from for San Diego Comic-Con?

Pittsburgh, PA 

How many years have you been attending?

Since 2013

What was your favorite panel and why?

I love attending any cosplay panel to learn what’s new in crafting and to get ideas. 

What is your favorite exhibitor or artist booth and why?

I’m a Marvel junkie, so you can always find me around there in cosplay (usually as a Marvel character).

What is your favorite item you’ve ever taken home from the convention (swag, exclusive, merch, etc.)?

The coolest piece of swag I’ve ever gotten was a copy of Defenders #1 (2017) signed by the leads of The Defenders Netflix show! Netflix had an activation and invited Defenders cosplayers to show up.  So I dressed as Daredevil, imagine my surprise when Charlie Cox, Mike Coulter, Kristen Ritter, and Finn Jones walked out and gave us all copies of the latest Defenders book signed by them! And where do you think I heard about the cosplay Invite?  Here on the SDCC Unofficial Blog! 

What was your favorite autograph session and why?

I’m a comic nerd first and foremost. At SDCC I was able to meet one of my favorite authors, Tom King, at the DC Booth.  He signed my Mister Miracle (and my copy of Vision #1 despite that it was a Marvel book)!  

Tell us about your most memorable celebrity encounter at the convention.

At this point there have been so many! SDCC is crazy for randomly bumping into celebs. My favorite one was probably at the premiere of The Boys in 2019. Mind you, this was the first any of the public had seen of The Boys and well before it became the hit it is.  I had read the comics and knew who the production staff was so I had high enough hopes for the show that I made myself a Homelander cosplay.  As the showrunner, Eric Kripke was introducing the cast and he called me out from the audience and I got the chance to hug Anthony Starr, Homelander himself!

What was your favorite offsite and why?

I love the offsites!  It’s hard to pick a favorite, but I absolutely love how the Gaslamp District transforms during Comic-Con. One of my favorites was last year’s Hellfire Gala held by D23. It was effectively the Met Gala held by the X-Men in a who’s who of the Marvel Universe. I attended dressed as Doctor Doom with a retinue of Doom Bots. 

Where is your favorite place to eat during the con?

That’s a tough call.  I did really enjoy the Mooby’s pop-up from 2023.  It was really entertaining to get View Askewinverse snacks!  

What is your favorite thing about San Diego Comic-Con?

The other fans!  It’s so much fun to see so many folks so passionate about their fandoms.  I’ve gotten to know so many folks from all over. 

What is your best tip having a good con?

Follow the SDCC Unofficial Blog! No, seriously. They are invaluable in knowing what is going on and where and how to get tickets for it! Beyond that plan it, but be open to change. Prioritize the things you HAVE to do vs. what you really want to do. You won’t be able to do everything and that’s ok!  If there’s something you HAVE to do, get in line for it at least 2 hours early.   

Do you tend to do the convention solo or with friends?

How would you describe SDCC to someone who has never been before?

Nerd Mecca.  Everyone should go once just to see how crazy it is.  

Want to be featured as our Attendee of the Week? Find out how!