As New York Mets star Juan Soto made his return to the Yankees' stadium in a shower of boos, the result was the home team getting a 6-2 win. There was no doubt hard feelings from fans after Soto left the Yankees for the Mets on a $765 million contract, but the star player would express how he feels about his former team after his return.

While some may feel there are grudges held from some player exits, this one doesn't seem that way as Soto said how “happy” he is to see the players on New York succeeding and has “respect” for them, according to The Athletic.

“I’m just happy to see those guys and see them doing well,” Soto said. “They have a lot of respect for me, and I have a lot of respect for them.”

It was a jarring scene on Friday when Soto was going to home plate for his first at-bat in the opening inning, fans didn't hold back on their anger. However, the 26-year-old didn't ignore, he would tip his helmet to the fans.

“I was ready for it,” Soto said, according to ESPN, after the first game of the current Subway Series. “They're really passionate fans and they're a little hurt, and they're going to do the best for their team, and they just feel that way.”

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Juan Soto on how his return to Yankee Stadium was “another game”

New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (22) reacts after grounding out against the New York Yankees during the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium.
John Jones-Imagn Images

There is no doubt that Soto can be seen as the villain to Yankees fans after the decision to leave for an in-state rival in the Mets. If there is one aspect fans can take home, it's that the home team got the upper hand as Soto was relatively nonexistent on Friday, as he walked three times and scored once.

“It's just another game,” Soto said. “It's real [unfortunate] that we couldn't get the win. I don't focus at all on fans. We got to focus on the game and be a professional, try to win a game. Yeah, it sucks that we lost the game, but we have two more to win the series.”

At any rate, the Yankees are 26-18 before Saturday's contest against the Mets, which puts them first in the NL East.