Francisco Lindor's 9th-inning homer lifts Mets into the playoffs
ATLANTA — In a deciding moment of one of the greatest games in Mets history, a frantic and ultimately thrilling 8-7 win over Atlanta on Monday to clinch a spot in the playoffs on the final day of the regular season, Francisco Lindor played it straight.
His two-run home run off Pierce Johnson in the top of the ninth inning gave the Mets another lead, the last in an agonizing, dizzying series of late-inning twists.
As Starling Marte jumped in excitement on his way to second base, as the rest of the Mets burst from the dugout, as the Truist Park crowd sat in stunned silence, Lindor jogged coolly and calmly around the bases, stone-faced, ready for whatever will come next.
“My back hurts,” he said of his thoughts then. “I’m tired.”
He laughed, but he wasn’t lying. Lindor has played through pain for several weeks, the past few days especially so. But he is the Mets’ MVP, leader and tone-setter. His reaction in that moment and during a fleeting, jubilant celebration later were indicative of the twin truths of the organization’s day.
Fighting their way to a postseason berth was in itself an improbable, satisfying accomplishment near the end of an improbable, satisfying season. But these Mets — in the reality they portray now — believe they can do more, too.
Their postseason will begin with a best-of-three Wild Card Series against the Brewers. First pitch is at 5:32 p.m. ET Tuesday in Milwaukee.
And so the Mets had 22 1⁄2 hours between the end of the regular season and the beginning of the playoffs.
Their post-clinch party featured all the hallmarks — champagne, cigars, beer, goggles, hooting and hollering — but they kept it tight. Their buses left for the airport about 90 minutes after the last out of Game 2.
On to the next one.
“It’s been an uphill fight, you know? We put ourselves in a big hole. We kept climbing, we kept climbing, we kept climbing,” Lindor said, describing the season with a sentiment that also applied to the game. “We believe. We believe. I’ve said it since Day 1: I believe we have a good team to do special things. It was on us. Before the game, destiny was on us. We control destiny, our own destiny. And we had an opportunity today to come out and do something special, and we did.
“You just gotta fight, fight, fight. Embrace the moment. It’s going to be hard. It’s going to be hard. It’s even going to get harder from here now.”
The Mets (89-73) and Atlanta (89-73) entered Monday’s makeup doubleheader after two rainouts last week with each needing a win to reach the playoffs. The Mets got theirs in Game 1. Atlanta did the same in the second game, 3-0, to earn a date with the Padres, also beginning Tuesday.
That was the score at the start of the eighth inning of the opener, too. The Mets’ season — just like in May, late August and last weekend — was at serious risk. David Stearns, president of baseball operations, had headed to the clubhouse in the seventh to prepare roster moves and strategy for the second game.
Then the Mets did what they have done all year, even when they were bad: Figured it out with a flair for the dramatic. It became an “instant classic,” as Brandon Nimmo called it.
“You always have to keep believing,” he said. “With this team, we definitely do.”
Francisco Alvarez had an RBI double and Lindor and Jose Iglesias had RBI singles to get things started as they rallied for six runs in the top of the eighth against Spencer Schwellenbach, Joe Jimenez and closer Raisel Iglesias, whom Atlanta asked for a six-out save. After five straight hits and Mark Vientos’ sacrifice fly gave the Mets a 4-3 lead, Nimmo had the signature moment: an absolutely crushed two-run homer, which he relished as he walked down the line, rare for the guy known for sprinting to first.
When the Mets asked Edwin Diaz for five outs beginning in the bottom of the eighth — with the potential tying run at the plate — he melted down. He failed to cover first base on what would’ve been an inning-ending groundout to Pete Alonso, allowing a run to score, and Ozzie Albies (five RBIs) lined a three-run double.
“I was in shock,” Mets owner Steve Cohen said.
That set the stage for Lindor’s blast. At that moment, Diaz, who had thrown 21 pitches in the eighth, turned to manager Carlos Mendoza and insisted he wanted the bottom of the ninth. Pitching coach Jeremy Hefner had told Diaz — pre-Lindor — that he was done. To Diaz, that didn’t matter.
“I told Mendy, I’m going back out. No matter what. I don’t care what you say, I’m going back out,” Diaz said. “He fought me on it, but ‘trust in me. I got this [expletive].’ That’s how I said it to him. I went out and did my job.”
Mendoza said: “I went with it.”
Diaz allowed a single by Eli White, survived a mound visit from Mendoza and stranded the would-be tying run at second. With his 40th pitch, he induced a grounder from Travis d’Arnaud, Met-turned-Met-killer. Lindor — who else? — fielded it, fired to first and kneeled on second base, overcome by emotion.
Hours later, when they popped bottles, Lindor was as elated as anybody in the triumphal chaos.
“He’s probably dreamt of it his whole life,” Cohen said. “When you do it — and watch it — it’s incredible.”
Lindor got the Mets into what Cohen called “the endless season,” the postseason.
“We made it. We made it,” Diaz said. “In May, we were playing maybe the worst baseball maybe in the league. We came back from that. We battled through all season . . . Go out and compete and see if we can make the playo — uh, the World Series.”
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
