Carlos Mendoza couldn’t keep the smile off his face when thinking of it. Pete Alonso quite literally skipped off the field during batting practice.

And of course, there was Juan Soto, who beamed as he stepped up to the plate. He pounded the "New York" on his chest as dueling chants broke out — unprintable from Yankees fans, and supportive from Mets fans — and tipped his cap as raucous boos rained down from the Yankee Stadium rafters.

The Mets rolled into the Bronx on Friday prepared to play the role of troll, and, if Mendoza’s pregame comments were any indication, ready to revel in MLB’s inaugural “Rivalry Weekend” — when every team in baseball will play its geographic rival. And though a disastrous third inning by starter Tylor Megill put a bit of a damper on their swagger, it was clear that the Mets are fully engaged in the narrative.

“I think every year is different,” Mendoza said. “The one thing I learned is that both fan bases, they’re intense. They care. They’re loud. They’re electric. And I feel this year, maybe it’s a different feeling because you’ve got two teams that are playing well with a lot of good players. It’ll be a show, so you know it’s a big night here in New York. It’s good for the sport, good for the city when two teams are going at it, especially here, with so much talent and with how both teams are playing.”

Though the Mets completed a 4-0 season sweep last year, the stakes weren’t nearly this intense, partially because they weren’t nearly the juggernaut they are now. But with both teams making deep playoff runs last year, and sporting dueling $300 million payrolls, Friday very much felt like a potential World Series preview.

And there is, of course, the Soto factor. Soto told the New York Post earlier this week that he expected his return to feel like a case of “50,000 to 1” (though, to be fair, it was more like 25,000 to 1, since the fan split seemed fairly even), but before the game, Mendoza clarified that this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“I hope it’s loud because I’ve been in the other dugout too [when he was a bench coach with the Yankees] and I’ve seen it,” Mendoza said. “I had a pretty good seat back in 2022 when Houston came over here and I felt the louder the boos got, those guys raised” their game.

In the end, this weekend is the battle of Alonso versus Aaron Judge, of some of the best pitching staffs in baseball, and of two teams whose collective prowess has reinvigorated a rivalry that had grown stale as interleague play became less of a novelty.

“Not only Soto, but there are a lot of good players on our team, a lot of good players on that team and that’s what you want,” Mendoza said. “It’s a show and again, two good teams going at it and it’ll be fun.”

The Mets' major league -eading pitching staff is getting closer to having a few more weapons. Righthander Frankie Montas, who’s been sidelined since spring training with a lat strain, threw a live bullpen session in Brooklyn on Friday and is slated for another on Tuesday, Mendoza said. The Mets will then consider a rehab assignment if all goes well, which could set Montas up for a June return. Sean Manaea (oblique) threw a bullpen Friday and will throw another Sunday at Yankee Stadium, “then we’ve got to get him through the up and down type of bullpen before he starts facing hitters,” Mendoza said.