Why Mets' Francisco Lindor showed some extra emotion after go-ahead HR vs. Cubs

Jon Heyman of the New York Post noted that Francisco Lindor "showed a little extra emotion" than fans are used to seeing from the New York Mets shortstop after he hit a go-ahead solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning of Sunday's 6-2 win over the Chicago Cubs at Citi Field. 

Following the victory, Lindor addressed why that particular trip around the bases meant so much to him at this relatively early stage of the season. 

"It was just the moment," Lindor said, as shared by John Flanigan of SNY. "I wanted that at-bat. I wanted to get on base and make something happen for the boys. [Saturday], I felt like the momentum was on our side and we didn’t capitalize, so today I wanted to make sure I did something for the boys."

Lindor was referencing how he hit into a rally-killing double play in the bottom of the ninth inning of Saturday's 6-5 loss to Chicago. According to Will Sammon of The Athletic, Lindor "tapped his chest while looking at his teammates on his way back to the dugout" following that plate appearance. 

"I wasn’t trying to hit a home run there," Lindor added about his heroics on Mother's Day. "I was just trying to have a quality at-bat and let the big boys do what they do best, and then the emotions just came out. I definitely had my mom, my sisters, and my wife, who was in the stands, in my mind." 

All-Star outfielder Juan Soto allegedly pressing at the dish and the uncertain future of first baseman Pete Alonso have been two of the most-discussed Mets stories of the spring. Meanwhile, Lindor has somewhat quietly silenced talk about his previous slow starts to campaigns. 

According to ESPN stats, Lindor and Alonso began Monday tied for the team lead with nine homers on the season. Lindor was first on the Mets with 49 hits, second with 26 RBI and second with a .877 OPS. 

The players-only meeting Lindor called late last May has routinely been credited for the Mets' turnaround that resulted in the club completing a trip to the National League Championship Series. Some members of the MLB community believed this past winter that the Mets would name Lindor their official team captain ahead of Opening Day, but he seems just fine with leading the team by example. 

"To end up where we want to end up, we gotta do things like this," Lindor said about the first-place Mets taking two of three matchups from the 23-18 Cubs. 

The 26-15 Mets open a three-game home series versus the Pittsburgh Pirates (14-27) on Monday evening.