Just moments before Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor stepped up to the plate for his second at-bat on Friday night, fans at Citi Field were treated to a little surprise. The speakers didn’t blast his tried and true walk-up song of “My Girl” by The Temptations — instead, another Motown hit played for a new crowd sing-along.
His choice of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” didn’t yield another hit, as he struck out swinging on five pitches. But by setting the tone with a leadoff home run in the first inning, there was no valley low enough for a Mets lineup that ultimately produced four long balls in a 7-2 win over the Cubs.
The blast from Lindor came on an 0-2 fastball from Cubs starter Jameson Taillon, and the ball landed in right-center for his fourth leadoff shot of the season. He finished the game 3-for-5 with two runs scored and a stolen base, and raised his average to .297 and OPS to .861. Earlier this week, Lindor became just the ninth shortstop to reach the 50-WAR threshold since 1970.
“I just try to get a good pitch to hit and get on base for the guys,” Lindor said after the game. “I have two really good hitters behind me and the lineup is deep. So, just get on base for them and let them do what they do best. It just so happens they’ve been going out. I’ll enjoy it and then turn the page.”
Lindor wasn’t the only one who displayed some pop. Brett Baty produced the Mets’ second leadoff homer in the second, driving a ball to the left-center field bleachers. Jeff McNeil joined in on the fun shortly thereafter, drilling a solo shot to right. New York’s four-homer night was capped off by a mammoth solo blast from Juan Soto in the fourth that landed near Shea Bridge.
The Mets’ overall success at the plate was recently credited to “controlled aggression” by Brandon Nimmo, and Friday’s results backed that claim. Of the team’s 13 total hits, a whopping dozen came with two strikes. It was their 11th game with double-digit knocks this season, and third with four homers.
SNY’s Gary Cohen suggested “My Guy” by Mary Wells as a clever alternative walk-up tune for Lindor, considering that his wife gave birth to a boy back in March. But Lindor is pleased with hearing the duet from Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and hopes fans warm up to his minor plate adjustment.
“I think it’s a fantastic song and hopefully the fans can vibe to it too,” Lindor said. “I’m all about vibes and that’s the vibes right now. I didn’t fully change it because I had some pushback from some people here. I’m a people pleaser. I pleased the ones who pushed back on me. But I think that song is a banger.”
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