Francisco Lindor is the lifeblood of the New York Mets. He fuels all that makes the Mets go. Many believe he should be the next New York captain due to his character, his leadership, and his tenacity. He put it all on display in the Mets’ dramatic 7-6 win Tuesday night.
Lindor experienced a dreadful June swoon. He hit .204, slugged .369, and maintained a .628 on-base plus slugging percentage. He smacked only four home runs and knocked in ten runs. He is the catalyst of the offense; when he struggles, New York does too.
The Mets closed June with a 3-13 record. The Tampa Bay Rays, Atlanta Braves, and Pittsburgh Pirates all swept them. They played their most embarrassing in the Pittsburgh series, getting outscored 30-4 by one of the worst teams in Major League Baseball. They exhibited no energy and seemed content to lie down in defeat.
A struggling Lindor means he brings less passion and joy to the game; therefore, the team’s intensity plummets, too. New York is far from its best when it is work rather than for the love of the game. It needed its sparkplug to get ignited again.
The Mets looked dead to rights following up their Pittsburgh disaster with a series against the Milwaukee Brewers, one of the hottest teams. Milwaukee went 8-2 in its last ten games coming to the Big Apple and promptly won the first game of last Wednesday’s doubleheader.
New York desperately needed a win. In its most dire hour, Lindor answered the call with his biggest game in a month and a half. He went 3 for 4, hitting a homer in the second to pad the Mets’ lead to five. He singled home a score in the sixth and then doubled in another run in the seventh, accounting for three runs batted in.
New York stood tall for a win and hasn’t looked back since. The Mets won a 3-2 thriller the next day to win the series, Lindor contributing a hit and a run. They won the Subway Series, taking a 6-5 Friday night thriller and then pounding the New York Yankees 12-6 behind Lindor’s two hits, two walks, and four runs scored.
The Mets began a road series in Baltimore and looked much like the sad-sack franchise they had been throughout June. They imploded in the sixth and seventh innings, turning a 2-1 lead into a 6-2 deficit.
Clay Holmes pitched well through five innings, allowing three runs, one run, and striking out five. He couldn’t get anyone out in the sixth, though, plunking a batter and giving up four straight hits. Manager Carlos Mendoza has struggled to find the right usage balance for Holmes, and the issues flared up again.
Richard Lovelady came in to stop the bleeding, but by the end, four runs came around to score. The Baltimore Orioles added another run in the seventh and looked in complete command.
A loss to the middling Orioles threatened to dissipate some of the hard-fought momentum the Mets had built over the last few days. Often over the past month, the team rolled over with little fight. Would Tuesday evening be any different?
Brandon Nimmo singled to center in the eighth, then Lindor came to bat. Every game has a critical turning point; this would be this contest’s. He drilled a 425-foot blast over center field, cutting Baltimore’s lead to two and bringing to life the Mets’ lineup.
Juan Soto promptly singled to center, followed by a 407-foot power jack by Pete Alonso. He is now six away from breaking the Mets’ all-time home run record owned by Darryl Strawberry. The game was now tied, 6-all, and extra innings beckoned.
Lindor stood on second in the 10th inning as the “ghost runner.” He came around to score on Soto’s clutch single. The Mets didn’t score any more, but the lead held up behind brilliant bullpen work by Husacar Brazoban. A victory was pulled out of the jaws of defeat.
The top of the order all excelled Tuesday evening. Nimmo went 2 for 5 with a run scored and a knock-in. Soto continued his torrid play, collecting three hits and knocking in the game winner. Alonso marched ever closer to history and contributed a second hit to boot.
It should have come as no surprise that Lindor made the crucial play; he inspired his teammates to follow. The Mets should have one of the most explosive top of the order, but often it hasn’t been in sync. Last night, all looked in unison. Lindor can drive his team to superior heights, and he showed how in fantastic fashion.
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