Fresh off a dominant 10-0 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the New York Mets just regained their division lead over the Atlanta Braves, with the 87-51 Mets holding a mere 0.5 game advantage over the 86-51 Braves for the NL East lead. During such a pressure-packed situation, it's always useful for players to have a certain sense of calmness about the situation, and Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor has that in spades.
When asked about the tight division race, Lindor's dry sense of humor was on full display. The 28-year-old Puerto Rican had this to say to reporters as to what the Mets should do.
“At the end of the day, let's see if we can lose less than they do,” Lindor, with a deadpan look on his face, said. If only it was as easy as that, Francisco, if only it was as easy as that.
🎥 "Let's see if we can lose less than they do."
Francisco Lindor on the tight NL East race between the Mets and Braves, which he expects to remain tight throughout September: pic.twitter.com/SWHoHFw7rl
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) September 8, 2022
Make no mistake about it, Francisco Lindor is taking the playoff race very seriously. The Mets' $341 million man hit two run-scoring doubles in their latest victory as he finished with 2 hits, 3 runs batted in, and a walk. On the season, Lindor has hit 21 HRs, drove in 86 runs, and played his usual stellar defense at short, en route to a 5.5 WAR, per Fangraphs. The Mets also welcomed ace Jacob deGrom back in the shutout win.
Lindor also gave the Braves props and he expects the two ballclubs to go neck and neck for the division title until the end of the season.
“I said it from day one, it's gonna be a tight race. It should be a tight race,” Lindor added.
Lindor has belief in the Mets' group of guys, lauding them for their professional mindset as they head into the most crucial stretch of the season.
“The great thing about this team, there's a bunch of professional guys here. [They] understand that not everyday you're gonna be successful. The past couple of days hasn't been the way we [wanted] it, kinda most of the guys hit [with the injury bug] at the same time, but everyone is just focused on the daily job and just trying to win ballgames, score more runs than the other team,” Lindor elaborated further.
Francisco Lindor and the Mets will look to extend their division lead heading into their next series against the Miami Marlins on the weekend.
Follow Us
Subscribe