After a very slow start to the season, the New York Mets have begun to turn things around, as they have won four of their past five games. The same can’t be said for star shortstop Francisco Lindor, though, although the hope is that a classy move by Mets fans in their 6-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals could help him get going.
Lindor has been mired in a horrific slump to open the season, and it’s clearly been weighing on him. With that in mind, team owner Steve Cohen suggested fans give Lindor a standing ovation to help him feel the love from fans, even as he struggles. Sure enough, the fans did their part in this game, and Lindor responded with some heartfelt comments after the game.
“I wasn’t expecting that at all. But it definitely felt good. It feels good to be able to come home and feel the love of the fans, when I’m playing well or playing bad. It fills my heart, for sure. At the end of the day, I will always be Francisco Lindor — on good or bad days. And I will always play as hard as I can and do whatever it takes to help this team win, day in and day out. Everybody that came out — thank you for the love. It doesn’t go unnoticed. I’m a better player when my heart is at a happy place,” Lindor said. “And shortstop at Citi Field, it’s my happy place.” – Francisco Lindor, MLB.com
Francisco Lindor hoping Mets fans can help him break out of slump
Lindor used the support from Mets fans to put together a decent outing (1/3, 1 R, 1 BB), but even then, his numbers on the year are still pretty ugly (.111 BA, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .407 OPS). However, all you need is one positive game to get things going, and that could have happened to Lindor on Friday night against the Royals.
Given the production we have seen from him throughout his career, there’s no reason to believe that Lindor is going to be stuck in this slump all season long. This is a guy that is fresh off two straight top-ten finishes in the National League MVP race, and with the rest of the Mets offense finally getting going, it’s only a matter of time until Lindor finds his way.
The fans showing that they aren’t giving up on their star shortstop clearly meant a lot to him, and the hope is that it will spark a big turnaround over the next few days. Lindor has a track record of success, and with the fans on his side, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise at all to see him begin heating up after his solid showing against Kansas City.
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