Francisco Lindor had a chance to win the game for the Mets on Saturday night.
After Jeff McNeil worked a tremendous 10-pitch walk leading off the bottom of the ninth facing Cubs closer Porter Hodge, the superstar shortstop stepped to the plate looking to provide some more late-inning magic.
However, he rolled into a 1-6-3 double play before Juan Soto grounded out to end the game.
Fast forward just a few hours, and Lindor found himself in a similar spot.
Knotted in a 2-2 tie in the rubber match of a three-game set, Hodge was brought in to face the top of the order in the bottom of the eighth — and this time, the Mets’ star leadoff man was able to get the best of the matchup.
Lindor quickly found himself in a favorable 3-1 count before he demolished a middle-middle sweeper deep into the Mets’ bullpen in right-center — putting them ahead for good to secure the series victory.
The usually cool, calm, and collected Lindor, no matter how big the moment, was visibly fired up after this dramatic blast — letting his emotions show as he went back to the dugout and celebrated the go-ahead homer with his teammates.
FRANCISCO LINDOR SOLO HOME RUN!
(Via @TheRokuChannel) pic.twitter.com/ogYQp5u5z5
— SNY (@SNYtv) May 11, 2025
“It was just the moment,” Lindor said. “I wanted that at-bat. I wanted to get on base and make something happen for the boys. Yesterday, I felt like the momentum was on our side and we didn’t capitalize, so today I wanted to make sure I did something for the boys.
“I wasn’t trying to hit a home run there. I was just trying to have a quality at-bat and let the big boys do what they do best, and then the emotions just came out. I definitely had my mom, my sisters, and my wife, who was in the stands, in my mind.”
And the guys behind him did their job as well — adding some insurance as Pete Alonso followed him up with a double before Mark Vientos cracked an RBI single and Brandon Nimmo crushed a two-run homer of his own.
The four-run eighth inning not only pushed the Mets across the finish line to secure a huge series victory over the first-place Cubs, but it also showcased just how scary this deep lineup can be late in ballgames.
“It’s really cool,” Lindor said. “It’s cool to go up into the 7th, 8th, or 9th inning feeling like one of us is going to get it done. We have a really good lineup, the coaches continue to prepare us the right way day in and day out, and we do a good job talking in the dugout.
“It feels good to have that feeling of anyone can get it done.”
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