New York Mets Shortstop Francisco Lindor Sets Major Milestone
Francisco Lindor has joined elite company.
The New York Mets' shortstop sparked a five-run third inning and got his team's scoring parade going on Monday in a 13-3 win over the San Francisco Giants.
With the Mets initially trailing 2-0 in the top of the third, Lindor produced a game-tying two-run double that just landed inside fair territory along the left field line.
But this was no ordinary two-run extra-base hit for Lindor. This proved to be a major milestone as the 499th and 500th runs batted in of the 28-year-old's career.
According to New York Mets Stats: @NYMStats, Lindor became just the seventh shortstop in baseball history to eclipse 500 RBIs and 150 home runs (164 total for Lindor) through the first eight seasons of their career. This list includes big names such as: Cal Ripken Jr., Alex Rodriguez, Ernie Banks, Miguel Tejada, Nomar Garciaparra and Hanley Ramirez.
After getting off to a red-hot start to the season, Lindor has had a rough go in the month of May (.193 batting average). This has brought his triple slash down to .232/.332/.387 with a .719 OPS through 44 games.
However, Lindor has six home runs, 26 RBIs and leads all National League shortstops with a 1.2 fWAR in 2022. He is also slashing .269/.424/.308 across his last seven games with four RBIs and eight runs scored.
While Lindor has yet to play like the superstar the Mets are hoping he will be, the shortstop has still been productive. His recent numbers could be a sign that he is on the verge of breaking out of his slump.
Regardless, the Mets currently hold the most wins in the N.L. with a 29-15 record, as well as an eight game lead in the N.L. East.
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