The flu couldn’t keep Francisco Lindor from delivering for his team in the clutch.
The New York Mets shortstop left Wednesday night’s game with flu-like symptoms but bounced back on Thursday. While Lindor didn’t start the afternoon game against the Chicago Cubs, he pinch-hit for Joey Wendle in the sixth inning and delivered a two-run double. He wasn’t finished.
The four-time All-Star came up in the bottom of the 11th inning with one out, runners on first and second and the Mets trailing 6–5. He lined a 3–2 pitch from Daniel Palencia down the left field line, scoring Brett Baty and Harrison Bader and giving the Mets a 7–6 walk-off win.
Lindor came off the bench to go 2-for-3 with two doubles, four RBIs and a run scored. It was a big performance for a Mets team trying to find consistency.
After the game, Lindor told SNY’s Steve Gelbs that he spent the day trying to get ready to play because of how badly he was feeling.
This could be the kind of game that could get Lindor going. He has really struggled this season and is currently slashing .207/.287/.380 for an OPS of .667. He has five home runs, 15 RBIs and a 0.6 WAR. Given that he’s in the third season of a 10-year, $341 million contract that’s obviously not good enough.
Maybe he needed a touch of the flu to turn things around.
