On Saturday, Francisco Lindor made a notable impact in the second half, contributing to a moment that sparked a farewell celebration.
This pivotal moment came in the ninth inning when Lindor produced an RBI single, securing a 5-4 win for the Mets over the Nationals at Citi Field.
Lindor has been shining lately, posting a .990 OPS in his last 24 games, and his two-run hit in the ninth was crucial for the team.
The comeback started when Brett Batty drew a walk against Yovany Cruz, followed by a single from Jorge Polanco, who had faced boos earlier in the game after striking out twice. Francisco Alvarez then contributed with an RBI double that leveled the game at 4-4.
Sean Manaea’s run of four solid starts came to a halt in the sixth inning, when Brady House connected with a sweeper pitch that hit the left field foul pole. He ended the game having allowed four earned runs on six hits, alongside two walks and seven strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings.
The game kicked off with Brad Lord loading the bases via a walk. Jared Young’s timely two-run double in the first inning put the Mets on the board after AJ Ewing, Lindor, and Carson Benge had all drawn walks.
Starting with an .889 OPS, Young proved to be reliable at first base, achieving 15 hits in 36 at-bats (.326 batting average) with runners in scoring position that day.
In the fourth inning, Andres Chaparro cut the Mets’ lead down to 2-1 with a leadoff home run. Manaea was ahead in the count at 0-2 when Chaparro launched a four-seamer over the left field fence.
In the sixth inning, Manaea faced trouble again—Andrew Pinckney hit a double, leading to a walk to Chaparro. Then House hit a three-run homer, sending a sweeper ball into the left field seats, which gave the Nationals a 4-2 advantage.
This marked the first occasion Manaea had surrendered multiple home runs in one game, having started five games previously.
Later, Benji opened the inning with a home run off left-handed reliever Tom Cosgrove.
In the seventh inning, Benji made an impressive throw to home plate to prevent a run, easily nailing Pinckney who was attempting to score from third base on a fly ball from Dylan Cruz. The assist was Benji’s sixth of the season.
As the Mets advanced runners to second and third in the eighth, Marcus Semien was unable to capitalize, becoming the final out. Earlier, Lindor had a leadoff single in the first but was caught trying to advance to second on a pitch that bounced in the dirt.
