The air at Fenway had that tense, heavy stillness, the kind that crawls in when both sides know something’s about to give. It was not just another routine game; there was something simmering beneath the surface, an unspoken intensity pulsing through each pitch and each glance between dugouts. It would not take long for that spirit to boil over. A disputed call turned heads, a stolen base added fuel, and before anyone could process what was happening, Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor were smack in the middle of a firestorm, one ignited by a comment that no one saw coming, least of all from the mound.
It was the third inning when everything boiled over. A borderline pitch zipped past Soto, one that seemed to kiss the inside corner. But home plate umpire Mike Estabrook called it a ball. Boston Red Sox starter Walker Buehler was not having it. His frustration broke almost instantly, storming from the mound in disbelief. And just like that, he was gone. Tossed. Ejected. But the real blow-up did not come from the pitch. It came from the words that followed.
Buehler, still heated, reportedly turned to Soto and said, “I told Soto he looked like a Yankee and Lindor flipped out. Truth hurts.” That single poke carried more weight than a fastball to the ribs. In an instant, the game’s tension shattered. Transitioning from what seemed like a basic ejection to a full-blown narrative twist, the moment uncovered not just tempers but identities. Soto, now with the Mets, has always worn his Bronx connection like a shadow. That one-liner from Buehler was not just junk talk, it was a strike at pride, loyalty, and baseball’s ever-spinning rumor grind.
Walker Buehler mentioned the Yankees to Juan Soto after getting ejected pic.twitter.com/pHN3ZvGhOQ
— New York Porch Sports (@nyporchsport) May 21, 2025
And it was not lost on fans either. The jab went viral, Yankees fans ran wild with it, and Soto, ever composed, did not react publicly. But it was not hard to tell that something had transformed. In the middle of a scoreless Mets offense, the tension only intensified.
Buehler, who recently came back from a long injury stretch, later expressed regret over how it all played out. “I felt very convicted in what I saw,” he told reporters. “But at the same time, this is a team game and something I kind of let get out of hand. And personally, that’s kind of the disappointing part of it.” He knew his actions had impacted the franchise. Still, that comment? That did not sound like a mistake. That sounded like something he actually felt.
As punchlines go, ‘Truth hurts’ was short, sharp, and unforgettable. And if it was meant to get under the Mets’ skin, mission accomplished. The real question now? How will Soto and Lindor respond the next time these teams share a field with Buehler on the mound again?
How Walker Buehler’s ejection sparked a Red Sox statement win
If Walker Buehler’s comment lit the fuse, what came after was a full-blown explosion—not from the Mets, but from Buehler’s Red Sox. Just minutes after the star’s early exit in the third inning, the team’s bullpen delivered one of its dominant performances of the year. While the Mets were still trying to process the insult thrown Soto’s way, the Red Sox were turning the narrative on its head, turning chaos into control.
It took six relievers, and each reliever answered the call with perfection. From Brennan Bernardino’s steady hand to Aroldis Chapman’s ice-cold ninth-inning finish, the team’s pen blanked the Mets across the final 6.2 innings. Buehler, fully aware of the jam he had left them in, went to Instagram later and said, “Bullpen full of savages!!! Brutal way to come back and horrendous spot to put those boys in but huge team win. I will be better! W!”.
The crew chief, Laz Diaz, clarified the ejection and said: Buehler had stepped off the mound to argue balls and strikes — an automatic toss by rule. However, anyone who saw it knew this was larger than a rulebook decision. This was about the feelings, reputation, and establishing a tone. When the team secured a 2-0 shutout behind a ‘savage’ bullpen approach, it looked like the Red Sox had done more than win a game. They had made a statement.
What began as a fiery exchange between stars and a sharp-tongued starter ended with the team’s stats doing all the talking. The verbal jabs could have stolen headlines. However, it was the bullpen’s quiet domination that truly closed the show. As tensions still simmer, one thing is for sure—the upcoming meeting between these two teams will not be short on drama.
The post “Truth Hurts” – Ejected Red Sox’s $20.5M Star Took Bold Digs at Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor in Fiery Mets Showdown appeared first on EssentiallySports.