Francisco Lindor Rises to the Occasion

Photo by Benjamin B. Braun/Getty Images

August 26, 2026

Despite struggling to start the regular season, Francisco Lindor has risen to the occasion when the New York Mets needed it most. During Tuesday’s series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers, he went 2-for-4 out of the lead off spot with a home run. He also put his defensive capabilities on display, making an improbable catch to send the game into extra innings. From there, the Mets went on to beat the Brewers 3–2.

“The team has picked me up more times than I picked up them this year. So to be there for the guys, it means a lot. I want to be the best person and lift the team up,” Lindor said.

Francisco Lindor Shines

After lining out in the first inning, Lindor recovered in the second by drawing a walk off Kyle Harrison. That was the only free pass allowed by the Brewers lefty, who also gave up a single to A.J. Ewing. Still, Bo Bichette failed to capitalize on this opportunity as he struck out to end the inning.

Francisco Lindor made up for his teammate’s mistake, lifting one of Harrison’s pitches to center field for a fifth inning solo shot. His 13th home run of the season tied the game at 1–1. That also marked his first homer since August 14 and fourth of the month.

Four innings later, Lindor made another game-saving play for the Mets. With the Brewers rallying, David Hamilton hit what would have been an RBI single, but Lindor dove towards the ball with his glove out to make the catch. This ended the inning and sent the ballgame into extra innings. Meanwhile, Lindor’s catch earned a reaction from left-hander Jefry Yan, who knelt down and pounded the grass in celebration of his teammate.

“100% [Yan’s] vibes are contagious. He should continue to jump and continue to be himself. At the end of the day, he’s Jefry; he got here for a reason, and he should continue to be himself,” Lindor said.

“He shouldn’t tame it because people are saying he should be tame… He’s not disrespecting anybody. He’s not trying to offend anybody. So I was pumped when he came in, and I was pumped when he got the out.”

Taking Strides

During the ninth, Lindor singled to third. Yet, he made a crucial mistake when right-hander Trevor Megill picked him off when trying to swipe second. With one opportunity blown, the Mets used Lindor as their automatic runner in the 10th. The second time around, the shortstop made up for his mistake, reaching home on a shallow infield hit from Christopher Morel to score the winning run.

That marked the Mets 13th win since the August 3 trade deadline. Lindor has played a key role in some of those victories, recording 18 hits across this stretch. When asked what he wants to do during the final month of the season, he responded with being “the best version of myself. Be Francisco Lindor.”

“Play as hard as I can, day in and day out. Give everything I got to the guys, and we’ll see where it takes us. At the end of the day, we still had a lot of games left… good things can happen,” Lindor concluded.