Francisco Lindor, the shortstop for the Mets, isn’t known for becoming overly emotional after hitting a home run. For the de facto captain, who is having another incredible season, big hits have become the norm.
In Sunday’s 6-2 triumph against the Chicago Cubs on Mother’s Day, Lindor couldn’t hold it.
In the eighth inning of the game, which was at 2-2, Lindor took advantage of a hanging sweeper and drove it far into the Mets’ bullpen to give New York a 3-2 lead.
Lindor elicited strong emotions from his teammates by banging his chest and yelling into his dugout after crossing home plate, which was extremely expressive.
Lindor stated, “Today, I just wanted to make sure I did something for the boys.” “I just wanted to have a good at-bat and let the big boys do what they do, not try to (hit) a home run.” Then the feelings simply surfaced.
“I was definitely thinking about my wife, my sisters, and my mother. I definitely thought about them.
His teammates responded to it like a rallying cry, scoring three more runs in the inning to bury the Cubs.
After first baseman Pete Alonso hit a double to left field, third baseman Mark Vientos, who had hit a home run in his last at-bat, added an RBI double to increase the margin to four runs.
Brandon Nimmo, a left fielder, took the lead after Vientos with a two-run home drive into the Mets’ bullpen from 381 feet out.
Carlos Mendoza, Lindor’s manager and teammates, took note of his emotional outburst and reminded spectators that “we’re watching greatness here.”
Mendoza stated, “To be honest with you, I thought he showed a bit more (emotion) today.” He was made for this time. He can handle any challenge, which is what great players do.
Lindor went two for four on Sunday, raising his batting average from.296 to.301. He leads all major league shortstops with nine home runs.
Regarding Lindor’s emotional influence on the bench, Vientos made a statement.
“I love it because that’s the type of player I feel like I am,” Vientos said. “You’re competing, you want to win, you get the win, you let it all out. Show everyone how excited you are.”
