The New York Mets are one of those teams playing for their entire season in this final stretch, and having the best version of their players is crucial to stay in the race. Against this backdrop, but not before enduring a dark chapter in his career, Francisco Lindor has recently become the most welcome news.
The shortstop has overcome a terrible slump that was tough on him and the Mets, led by Carlos Mendoza, who entered a concerning negative streak.
The best version of Francisco Lindor and a franchise record
Between August 5 and 10, Francisco Lindor didn’t record a single hit-not one. It was the third time this season the Puerto Rican went at least five games without a hit. This coincided with a scarcity of wins for the Mets, as victories were few while one of their key leaders struggled.
The Mets lost all five games during this streak, leaving them poorly positioned in their battle against the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East race, just one game ahead of the Cincinnati Reds in the Wild Card chase.
But things have changed dramatically since then. Francisco Lindor has left his slump behind, becoming the hottest hitter in all of MLB since August 12. During this period, he was named National League Player of the Week, posting otherworldly numbers.
Lindor went 14-for-25 in the week, batting .560. He hit six extra-base hits, including three home runs, and drove in seven runs.
Recently, in his latest game, he hit a home run off MacKenzie Gore in the first inning, making history for the Mets.
According to Mike Mayer of Metsmerized and MetsMinors.net, this was Lindor’s eighth leadoff home run of the season, the most in a single season in Mets history, surpassing Curtis Granderson‘s record of seven leadoff home runs in 2015 and 2016.
This marks the 25th home run of the year for the shortstop, a number that also places him as the fourth player at his position to reach this mark in seven different seasons, joining the likes of Alex Rodríguez, Cal Ripken Jr., and Ernie Banks, the latter two being Hall of Fame members.
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