Francisco Lindor hits three home runs as Mets take Subway Series

Baseball games are never really won by just one player, but sometimes one player basically does that. On Sunday night at Citi Field, Francisco Lindor pretty much did that, hitting three home runs and driving in a total of five runs, leading the Mets to a win over the Yankees with a little bit of help from his friends.

Carlos Carrasco didn’t get off to a good start, surrendering two runs in the top of the first, one on a Giancarlo Stanton double and the other on a Joey Gallo sac fly. But the Mets partially answered that with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning, which scored on a Michael Conforto single.

With the Mets still down a run in the bottom of the second, Lindor’s outstanding night got underway, as he hit a three-run bomb to put the Mets ahead by two runs. Carrasco settled in nicely, and James McCann tacked on a run with a sac fly in the bottom of the fifth.

Because of a high pitch count, though, Carrasco lasted just five innings. And Jeurys Familia helped get the Yankees closer by serving up a two-run home run to Gleyber Torres in the top of the sixth. With the Mets’ lead cut to one run, Lindor went deep again in the bottom of the inning, a solo shot that re-established the team’s two-run lead.

In the top of the seventh, though, Stanton had an answer for that, hitting a two-run shot off Brad Hand to tie the game at six apiece. And he made a specific point to slow down and say something to Lindor, who had made a whistling motion toward the Yankees’ dugout after hitting his second home run—as Mets players had heard the Yankees whistling while Taijuan Walker was pitching earlier in the series. Both benches cleared, though no brawl ensued.

In the bottom of the eighth, Lindor put an exclamation point on a night in which he had already authored several, hitting his third home run, which put the Mets ahead 7-6. Combined with Seth Lugo’s scoreless eighth and Edwin Díaz’s scoreless ninth, that was enough to give the Mets the win.

They might not make the playoffs, but at least on a night and a weekend that saw an electric crowd at Citi Field, the Mets came out on the right side of the series.

Box scores

MLB.com
ESPN

-illar of the day

With a 1-for-4 night, a run scored, and a walk, Jonathan Villar takes the title for this one.

Win Probability Added

FanGraphs

What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Francisco Lindor, +70.4% WPA
Big Mets loser: Jeurys Familia, -21.1% WPA
Mets pitchers: -8.9% WPA
Mets hitters: +58.9% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Francisco Lindor hits a solo shot to give the Mets the lead in the bottom of the eighth, +30.7% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Giancarlo Stanton ties the game with a two-run home run in the top of the seventh, -29.3% WPA

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