+Francisco Lindor is the unofficial captain and fire-starter of the New York Mets, and he fully embodied both roles in Tuesday night’s 7-6 comeback victory over the home-team Baltimore Orioles. The All-Star shortstop mashed a clutch 425-foot home run in the eighth inning to cut a four-run deficit in half. Pete Alonso tied the game with his own two-run bomb and Juan Soto put the squad on top for good with an RBI single in the 10th.
Fans watched all three members of the big three propel the Mets to a thrilling win, but it was Lindor’s blast that set the resurgence in motion. Or was it? The MVP runner-up himself credited another player for paving the way for the late-game heroics. He does not believe his homer would have even been possible if not for the resilient seven-pitch at-bat that Brandon Nimmo put together to lead off the eighth.
The veteran left fielder muscled a single off relief pitcher Bryan Baker and allowed the big hitters behind him to get vital intel. Lindor expressed his gratitude after the game.
“He gave me the opportunity to see every pitch, literally,” the four-time Silver Slugger and two-time Gold Glove winner told reporters, per SNY Mets. “With the way he was fouling the pitches off, I knew kind of what the pitch was doing. And that’s why I told him, ‘you set that up.’ That was a very professional at-bat. He did a fantastic job all day giving us information of what the ball is doing. So hats off to him.”
Mets’ top guys lean on each other in comeback win
New York received sterling pitching for the first stretch of the season before injuries and declining production enveloped the staff, but fans have known all along that this team’s identity is tied to the star-studded and highly lucrative top half of the batting order. Juan Soto, Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor rightfully draw most of the adulation, but Brandon Nimmo is a valuable component of the lineup.
Beyond his solid statistics, which include a .258 batting average, .473 slugging percentage, 18 home runs and 53 RBIs, the 32-year-old has tremendous grit. The Mets needed someone to spark momentum, and Nimmo did just that with a quality showing at the plate. Lindor and company capitalized, and the National League East-leading club (tied with the Philadelphia Phillies) rallied once again.
With a potent combination of talent and tenacity, New York (53-39) is eying another magical October. Only this time, the Mets aim to finish the job. The team’s core will try to stay on the attack in Wednesday’s showdown with the Orioles (40-50).
