Francisco Lindor was the Mets’ hero in the first of two games against the Nationals on Saturday, saving his team from the embarrassment of blowing a 9-0 lead with a two-run home run in extra innings to keep the Amazin’s winning streak alive.
Leading off the ninth inning with two hits and two RBIs on the day already, Lindor blasted a 93.7 mph sinker from Nationals pitcher Kyle Finnegan into the second deck of Nationals Park to ultimately secure the Mets’ 11-9 win in Washington. Albert Almora Jr., who replaced Brandon Nimmo when the starting center fielder exited with right hamstring tightness in the second inning, scored after starting the inning on second as the ghost runner.
Lindor finished the Saturday matinee 3-for-4 with two runs and four RBIs, including a sacrifice fly all the way to the warning track in the Mets’ four-run second inning to score Jonathan Villar for the 6-0 lead. Lindor did commit a throwing error in the sixth, when the Nationals closed the gap to two runs.
“[It was a] long one, but very, very rewarding,” Lindor said after the win. “A lot of the guys got a lot of hits, which always makes it fun. A little bit frustrated with my error that led to the beginning [of the Nationals’ rally]. I’m defense first and I wasn’t pleased with that one.
“Thank God with the group of guys we have, they pick us up, they picked me up, and gave us a chance to win.”
It has been an eventful week for Lindor, who signed a 10-year, $341 million extension with the Mets in April after getting traded from the Indians in January. The 27-year-old shortstop recently had to apologize, along with Javier Baez, for a thumbs-down gesture that was intended to be a dig at the fans — something owner Steve Cohen publicly condemned as “unacceptable.”
Since then, Lindor is 4-for-14 from the plate with a double, five RBIs and Saturday afternoon’s homer.
Lindor, a four-time All-Star, has largely underperformed in his first season in Flushing. In 98 games with the Mets, he has posted a career-low .224 batting average with an on-base percentage of .313 and 12 homers — just four more than he hit during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season with Cleveland.