What Francisco Lindor told Mets before playoff-clinching home run

Shortly after the latest meltdown from closer Edwin Diaz resulted in the New York Mets' 6-3 eighth-inning lead over the Atlanta Braves becoming a 7-6 deficit, Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor addressed his teammates with the club three outs away from facing a win-or-go-home second half of Monday's doubleheader to close the regular season. 

"Keep fighting," Lindor repeatedly said in the dugout before the ninth, Mark W. Sanchez of the New York Post shared. "Just fight. Fight. Fight. Fight. We got to play 27 outs." 

Lindor then delivered with his bat, as his dramatic two-run home run gave the visitors an 8-7 lead that Diaz preserved to ensure the Amazins will, at the very least, play a best-of-three wild-card playoff series at the Milwaukee Brewers that gets underway on Tuesday afternoon. 

It was a fitting end to Lindor's campaign, as few would argue nobody else deserved the moment more than the 30-year-old who emerged as the Mets' most valuable player and emotional leader amid a roller-coaster ride of a season. 

From calling a players-only meeting after the Mets fell to 22-33 on May 29 to paying for team dinners on road trips, Lindor has seemingly cemented himself as the favorite to be named the club's first captain since David Wright retired after the 2018 season.

"His leadership is unreal," Mets starting pitcher Tylor Megill said about Lindor as players celebrated earning a postseason berth that seemed improbable in the closing days of spring. "We follow him." 

SNY's John Harper pointed out that the odds "will be heavily against" the Mets for their wild-card series at the Brewers, considering New York's pitching staff is taxed from having to play meaningful baseball through Monday and the fact that Lindor isn't 100 percent coming off the back injury that sidelined him in September. 

Lindor nevertheless indicated following his heroics at Atlanta's Truist Park that the Mets are targeting a bigger goal than simply qualifying for the postseason tournament. 

"It feels like we took one step closer to where we want to be," Lindor said after carrying the Mets to the playoff-clinching win on Monday, per SNY's Alex Smith. "That’s exactly how it feels. We’re on a mission, and we understand what the goal is, but to get to where we want to be, we have to do stuff like this." 

As of Tuesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Mets as +120 betting underdogs to win the series opener at the Brewers.