Mets’ Francisco Lindor talks ‘special’ walk-off against his former team

There was some buzz surrounding this weekend's Mets-Guardians series.

With Cleveland in town, it led to conversations about whether New York got the better of the deal that sent Francisco Lindor to Queens, especially with his early-season struggles this year.

Entering Friday, the 29-year-old was hitting .225 with six home runs and 31 RBI. The production numbers are solid, but the batting average has left a lot to be desired from those expecting more from the career .275 hitter. On top of that, Lindor’s former teammate Jason Kipnis made some comments this week about the shortstop’s leadership ability.

So it was only fitting that Lindor was the one to cap off the Mets’ improbable 10-9 comeback win on Friday night.

“That’s the way God works,” Lindor said after the game. “Special day, but I just love that we got the W no matter who is on the other side. Props to my teammates, the way they grind kept us in the game, the pitchers did really good, [Brandon] Nimmo’s at-bat, [Mark] Vientos, the baby Mets, they are fun to watch. Without them, I don’t come up in the 10th. Props to them.”

In his last five games, Lindor had six hits in 21 at-bats but was without a home run or RBI in that span. On Friday, Lindor finished 3-for-6 with two runs and a walk-off single against Guardians star closer, Emmanuel Clase.

Despite the noise of the last few days, Lindor says his walk-off wasn’t any different than if he did it against any other team. Lindor points out that he never played with most of the guys on Cleveland and it’s really only the coaching staff he knows.

“It’s emotional to [hit a walk-off] against anybody,” Lindor explained. “I wanted to win that game. I wanted to win the game in that situation and I wanted it to be me but, just winning games, that’s what counts. That’s what matters. It’s special overall.”

Lindor has not been the only Met struggling this season. Friday’s win was the Mets’ third in a row, and they have reached .500 for the season at 23-23. While the team with the highest payroll in baseball is expected to be competing for a division, not sitting in third place, the players have continued to stick together and help each other out no matter what, just like in Lindor’s final at-bat.

“Voggy told me what the ball was doing,” Lindor said, explaining what he saw in his final at-bat. “Kudos to my teammates, [Daniel] Vogelbach struck out earlier in the inning and he told me exactly what the baseball was doing and what to look for. That’s what good teammates do. That hit goes to everyone in the dugout.”

And while the three-game winning streak is good, Lindor knows there’s more to be done if this team wants to fulfill their potential and make it back to the postseason. But he’s confident this year's team, which Lindor says has created a “special atmosphere” at Citi Field the last few nights, will be able to weather the ups and downs of a long season.

“My teammates are sticking together, pulling for each other. We’re going to have good times and bad times together,” he said. “We will struggle again at some point. I just hope that we always stay together and work as hard as we can.”