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Francisco Lindor makes Mets franchise history again
Brad Penner-Imagn Images

New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor was mired in an ugly slump now too long ago, with his performance cratering along with that of the team.

From August 5 through August 10, he didn’t record a single hit; it was the third time this season in which he went at least five games in a row without recording a base hit. And just like the previous times, wins were far and few between with their leader struggling so much.

The Mets lost all five of those games, which has put them in a hole in the standings. Now 6.5 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East race and only one game ahead of the Cincinnati Reds in the wild card race, New York has its work cut out to earn a playoff spot. Of course, it is much easier to find success when their star shortstop is playing well.

Since that five-game stretch, Lindor has been on fire and it would not be a stretch to say Lindor has been the best hitter in MLB from August 12 on. He was named the NL Player of the Week, stuffing the stat sheet.

Francisco Lindor Makes History With Leadoff Home Run

Lindor went 14-of-25 at the plate, good for a ridiculous .560 batting average. He hit six extra-base hits, including three home runs, while driving in seven runs. Two stolen bases were added for good measure.

Riding an eight-game hitting streak, he wasted no time extending that streak to nine games on Thursday afternoon. In his first at-bat against Washington Nationals ace MacKenzie Gore, Lindor launched a home run. It was a significant long ball, making some Mets franchise history in the process.

As shared by Mike Mayer of Metsmerized and MetsMinors.net , this was Lindor’s eighth leadoff home run of the campaign. That is the most in a single season in franchise history, breaking a tie with Curtis Granderson, who hit seven leadoff home runs in 2015 and 2016.

It was the 25th home run of the year for the star shortstop, which puts him in an elite class as well. Also shared by Mayer, Lindor is the fourth shortstop to hit at least 25 home runs in seven separate seasons; he joins Alex Rodriguez, Cal Ripken Jr. and Ernie Banks, with the latter two being in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Turning only 32 years old in November, the New York star has a chance to be in a class of his own when it comes to power-hitting shortstops in MLB history. He is proving time and time again to be the engine that makes this team go. When he is playing well, good things are happening for the Mets.


This article first appeared on New York Mets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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