The Mets opened up a three-game series on the road against the Houston Astros on Monday night. Francisco Lindor and Co. provided something we haven’t seen too much of recently — a relatively stress-free win.
New York put together a five-run third inning and cruised from there with Max Scherzer dominating on the mound. Lindor broke the game open in the third with this three-run homer:
GIRL DAD POWER!
FRANCISCO LINDOR MAKES IT A 5-RUN INNING! pic.twitter.com/vZkbDc9qdB
— SNY (@SNYtv) June 20, 2023
The shortstop’s big night didn’t end there. He later added this two-run double to complete a five-RBI performance:
THAT'S A 5-RBI NIGHT FOR FRANCISCO LINDOR! pic.twitter.com/mBKZF5xUj5
— SNY (@SNYtv) June 20, 2023
The Mets’ offense has had its problems throughout this season. While Lindor has been far from the only hitter underperforming, he’s taken a lot of the heat. That just seems to be the way it is for him. So, this big night was sorely needed for him, especially from the left side of the plate.
Lindor is slashing .216/.295/.436 on the year, which is much lower than anyone wants to see (Lindor included). He’s at least produced with runners on base, as he’s already accumulated 50 RBI to go along with 32 extra-base hits (18 doubles, 14 homers). Lindor has also been much better as a right-handed hitter (.911 OPS) than as a left-handed hitter (.657 OPS) in 2023.
But since he and his wife welcomed their second daughter into the world on Saturday morning, Lindor has gotten hot at the plate:
Francisco Lindor since the birth of his daughter:
3-8, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 4 R pic.twitter.com/rfvpaZ5GVI
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) June 20, 2023
He joked with the media following Monday’s Mets win that his daughter brought a couple of hits for him as she entered the world:
"Amapola has brought me a couple hits."
– Francisco Lindor pic.twitter.com/oOcE0mVWSt
— SNY (@SNYtv) June 20, 2023
There are some jokes going on here, but let’s be real — could that be part of the reason why he’s having some success?
We constantly forget that professional athletes aren’t robots. They’re humans just like us. They have personal lives that can impact their work (just like us). And that can happen regardless of how hard they try (just like us). This is Lindor’s second child, so he had an idea of what would be happening. But still, that only matters so much.
Even if the pregnancy was totally smooth and with no issues, those final days and weeks before labor are stressful. It’s only natural. Maybe now that his second daughter has arrived safely, he can breathe a sigh of relief and find it easier to focus. I know I would be able to.
There’s no way to know whether there’s any real truth to this or not, but it wouldn’t shock me in the slightest. Let’s see if this is the beginning of a real hot streak for Francisco Lindor.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
