In theory, Francisco Lindor has every reason to take his foot off the proverbial gas pedal.
With eight years remaining on his 10-year, $341 million deal while playing one of the most demanding positions in baseball at shortstop and with his New York Mets clearly out of the postseason race in mid-August, the concept of self-preservation could be a more-than-logical avenue to take for the remainder of the 2023 season.
Yet there was Lindor on Monday night in what many would consider a throwaway series opener against the also-lowly Pittsburgh Pirates, playing in his 117th game of the season out of the Mets’ 119, continuing to play at full tilt.
The 29-year-old went 2-for-3 with two runs scored while stealing his 20th base of the season, which came in the fifth inning of the Mets’ 7-2 victory over the Pirates.
“I’m not going through the motions no matter what,” Lindor said. “As a professional baseball player, I gotta go out there and give it my best, day in and day out. I owe it to the fans, I owe it to my teammates, I owe it to this organization, and I owe it to myself. I will go every day and give everything I have, no matter what…
“There is always a reason to play the game — whether it’s to be better, be in the playoffs, for your numbers, or for the young kid that saved money to come watch you play. There is a reason to play the game. So no matter what, you have to give it everything you got.”
Lindor’s 20th swiped bag, which came in the fifth inning after he led things off with a double, helped put a little added distance between New York and Pittsburgh when he came in on a Jeff McNeil sacrifice fly to put the Mets up four.
With it, Lindor became the first Met since Carlos Beltran in 2008 to join the 20-20 club.
“It’s really cool whenever I get to be next to one of my role models growing up, someone I try to be like,” Lindor said. “It’s special for sure. I’m blessed to be in this position.”
The achievement is a bright spot in a tumultuous 2023 season. Not only did the Mets fall woefully short of initial World Series expectations, but Lindor has battled inconsistencies at the plate. On June 17, he was batting just .211 and on July 26, it wasn’t much better at .226.
But things have perked up even as the Mets’ playoff prospects dimmed. He’s batting .296 over his last 47 games and over his last 15 games, he’s 20-for-his-last-55 (.364) with three home runs and eight RBI.
“Just another quiet milestone he reaches to remind us all how splendid a player he is,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said of Lindor. “The effort he plays with… it’s really hard to do what he does and be that demanding of things from a professional standpoint and setting a great tone. We’re lucky to have him.
“Those guys are really hard to find. They have that type of talent and commitment from the organization and they get returns for it with his effort and the things he stands for.”
