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Francisco Lindor Delivers Emotional Message After Wild Mets Win to Clinch Playoff Spot

Lindor hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning to help seal the win.

Madison Williams

New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor throws a ball.
New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor throws a ball. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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The New York Mets clinched a playoff spot with an 8–7 win over the Atlanta Braves in the first game of a crucial doubleheader on Monday afternoon.

The win didn't come easily for the Mets, though. New York was down 3–0 entering the eighth inning, but then scored six runs in the inning to take the lead. The Braves answered with four runs in the bottom of the eighth to go up 7–6.

The Mets' season survived thanks to Francisco Lindor, who in the ninth inning launched a two-run home run that would eventually seal the win for the Mets. He was understandably excited after the game.

"It's been a lot, it's been hard. It's been an uphill fight since the beginning of the year, we never quit. We're definitely going to enjoy this one," Lindor said. "I really wanted this one, but not for myself. ... We wanted it for everybody."

As Lindor was speaking in his interview, the crowd chanted "MVP!" repeatedly for him.

The Mets and Braves play a second game on Monday afternoon to determine what seed New York will be. With just the one win, the Mets will sit in the sixth spot, but if they win the second game, they will move up to the fifth spot in the wild card.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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