Francisco Lindor hits walk-off homer to keep Mets in 1st place with win over Cardinals
Francisco Lindor's walk-off home run off Ryan Fernandez gave the New York Mets a 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field on Friday night.
Fernandez left a cutter up in the strike zone, and Lindor teed off on it for the first walk-off homer in his five seasons with the Mets and the 250th of this career. With the win, New York maintains its one-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies for first place in the NL East.
St. Louis tied the game in the top of the ninth with Brendan Donovan hitting a home run against Huascar Brazobán to lead off the inning. However, Brazobán struck out the next three batters to set up Lindor's walk-off heroics.
FRANCISCOOOOOOOOO #METSWIN pic.twitter.com/PlifmVCVAl
— New York Mets (@Mets) April 19, 2025
The Cardinals took a 2-0 lead on a Pedro Pagés RBI single in the second inning and Jordan Walker driving in a run in the fourth. But the Mets rallied to tie the score in the fifth on a run-scoring triple from Tyrone Taylor, followed by Juan Soto driving him in with a single.
Both teams traded runs in the sixth, with Nolan Arenado driving in a run for St. Louis, and Mark Vientos hitting a solo homer for a 3-3 tie. The Mets took a 4-3 lead in the eighth on an RBI double by Luis Torrens after Brandon Nimmo reached base on a fielder's choice.
Neither starting pitcher was particularly sharp. David Peterson gave up three runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings, though he notched nine strikeouts for the Mets. On the St. Louis side, Miles Mikolas allowed two runs and five hits in 4 2/3 innings. Brazobán got the win, while Fernandez took the loss.
A defeat could have dropped the Mets into a first-place tie after the Phillies beat the Miami Marlins, 7-2, earlier in the evening. But the win boosted New York to 13-7 and a one-game lead. Philadelphia is just behind the Mets at 12-8.
Kodai Senga (2-1, 1.06 ERA) gets the start Saturday for the Mets, while the Cardinals counter with Matthew Liberatore (1-1, 3.93 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
17 minutes ago
In Charlie Hustle's day, 110% effort was non-negotiable. In modern baseball, it's more complicated
DENVER -- Imagine this inspirational slogan on a T-shirt: Give 70% effort. It's not quite as catchy as the 110% baseball players have been instructed to exert since Little League. But maybe, just maybe, Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s on to something with his theory that going 70% might be the way to be his best self — and cut down on strained obliques or pulled hamstrings in the process. Only, hustle is woven into the fabric of the game. Nicknames derive from it (Charlie Hustle) and awards are built around it ( Heart & Hustle). This season, hustle has already come into play on several occasions. Most notably, when Juan Soto, the Mets $765 million star, didn't run hard to second base after smacking a ball high off the Green Monster at Fenway Park. In this modern era of baseball, where the average salary topped $5 million for the first time this season, the politics of hustle may play a role. There's the fundamental notion of hustle (run everything out) set against the possible ramifications of hustle (injuries to high-priced players). To the old guard, though, hustle is a non-negotiable. A lack thereof risks the wrath of not only teammates but a spot in a manager's doghouse. Which is why Chisholm's 70% mindset doesn't quite fly for Ron Washington, a gritty player back in the late 1970s and '80s who now manages the Los Angeles Angels. 'You give the visual of 100% at all times," the 73-year-old Washington told The Associated Press. "The only person who knows you're 70% is you, but don't tell people you're 70%, so when they see you dog it, they say, 'Well, he's only 70%.'' The Baseball Almanac defines hustle as 'to play aggressively, quickly, and alertly.' Translation: You know it when you see it. Two months ago, Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. criticized manager Brian Snitker's lack of response to Jarred Kelenic failing to hustle out of the batter's box. Acuña was removed from a Braves game on Aug. 19, 2019, when he was slow to leave the batter's box on a long drive that bounced off the right-field wall for a long single. 'There's no blanket thing,' Snitker said after the Kelenic situation on removing players for lack of hustle. To Washington, the definition of hustle has 'changed in this generation,' he said. 'Because (the lack of hustle) wouldn't have been allowed in other generations. ... Now people don't want to pull their best player off the field when he acts like an (expletive). I'm sorry. They don't want to pull him. Because you pull him, you just gutted the whole team. 'Back in the day, they didn't care. You didn't hustle, your (butt) is off the field. And you know who took care of it when they took you off the field? The players. Not management. Not the manager, not the coaches. The players took care of it.' That's Vinny Castilla's take, too. The two-time All-Star for the Colorado Rockies in the 1990s had veterans pull him aside when sometimes 'you don't feel too good and you don't go 100%.' 'The veterans step in and say, 'Hey, man, you've got to do it. You've got to hustle every day,'' Castilla said. 'Hustle doesn't change. ... Some players love to play hard and get their uniform dirty, and some players don't like to do it." Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said that he generally expects players to give 100% each day, but that's relative to how their feeling. As a recent example, Lovullo cited star outfielder Corbin Carroll, who was nursing a tight hamstring during a series in Cincinnati. 'For Corbin the past couple days, just give me 100% of what you have," Lovullo said. "So, yeah, we'll protect players.' In most cases, Lovullo said, hustle is a hard thing to turn on and off. 'If a player is healthy, I feel like there's no reason to not go 100%. To run fast, you've got to practice running fast," he said. "To throw hard, you've got to practice throwing hard. You can't turn it on and off. I think you're risking injury when you don't go hard and then all (of a) sudden you need to go hard." Chisholm believes he found the key to playing well and staying healthy by going 70%. The New York Yankees infielder postulated that his success since returning from the injured list has been caused by limiting intensity. 'Play at 70%: defense, offense, running, everything,' Chisholm said. "Stay healthy. You don't overswing. You don't swing and miss as much, and you're a great player at 70%.' Of course, that wouldn't have gone over well with 'Charlie Hustle' himself — the late Pete Rose, who elevated hustling to an art form. That was also before the age of the viral bat flip. Admiring homers is not just permitted, it's encouraged — and doesn't result in a fastball to the ribs the next go-around at the plate. In Soto's case, he appeared slow out of the box after watching what he thought was a homer. It's a different time from Washington's day. 'The game became young and it got to the point where we don't want to hurt nobody's feelings,' he said. 'I don't remember (longtime big-league manager) Gene Mauch giving a (expletive) about hurting my feelings. ... You didn't get the job done, then I'm letting you know you didn't get the job done. And if you don't want me screaming at you, guess what you better do? Get the job done!' It's a balancing act for sure. 'Some days are tougher than others. We always say that,' Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. "We're going to play hard for 27 outs. There's gonna be days where Woody (22-year-old budding star James Wood) sometimes will run out a groundball because he knows he' got a chance to make it. There will be some days where he hits a 110-mph one-hopper where he doesn't go hard out of the box, and I can understand that.' Hustle, much like Chisholm's theory, remains complicated. 'Some of it is what you would call eyewash, and some of it's real,' Brewers manager Pat Murphy explained. 'Real hustle means staying present in the game and staying on the game, being relentless in pitch-to-pitch readiness. Sometimes you can't even see it. I can see it. 'Your mind's decided on something else. You're worried about your contract or you're worried about next year or you're worried about a .300 batting average versus .299. I look at that as kind of lack of proper focus, not necessarily not hustling, the actual physical hustle. I think these guys play their (butts) off.' Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger learned the importance of hustle through a stare. He and his teammates growing up called it the 'Clay Stare.' It was the look from Bellinger's father, Clay, his longtime coach who helped instill the values of the game. 'You don't ever want the 'Clay Stare,'' Bellinger said. 'My dad was always like, 'Hey, run balls out. People are always watching.'' Bellinger's been benched in his career, like when he was with the Dodgers in 2018 and manager Dave Roberts sat him for not hustling on a double. 'Hustle, I think, it's one of the few things in this game you can control,' Bellinger said. 'You can't control where you hit the ball. But you can always control hustle and energy.' ___
New York Post
42 minutes ago
- New York Post
Kodai Senga's injury shouldn't sink Mets' rotation
For the June 13th, 2025 edition of the Morning Take, Brandon London reacts to Kodai Senga's hamstring injury and explains why the Mets will be fine without MLB's current ERA leader.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
DeMarcus Cousins speaks out after shocking brawl costs him season
DeMarcus Cousins apologized to fans after he brawled with multiple spectators during Monday's game in the Puerto Rican professional basketball league. The four-time NBA All-Star, who played for the Mets de Guaynabo in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional league, shared a message on his Instagram Story after he was suspended for the rest of the season and his team terminated his contract Tuesday. 'I want to apologize to the fans of Puerto Rico for my actions,' Cousins wrote including a blue heart emoji. 'I have so much love and respect for the island.' 4 DeMarcus Cousins apologized after he brawled with multiple spectators during Monday's game in the Puerto Rican professional basketball league. Instagram/Demarcus Cousins During a road game Monday, Cousins made an obscene gesture at a fan who was sitting courtside, grabbing his crotch and exchanging words. Cousins, who played 11 NBA seasons for several teams, grabbed the fan's arm as the man appeared to give him the double bird. As things escalated, one of Cousins' teammates stepped in between the two. The 34-year-old big man received his second technical and was ejected from the game. 4 DeMarcus Cousins apologized to Puerto Rico fans after he brawled with multiple spectators during Monday's game in the Puerto Rican professional basketball league. X Cousins continued to brawl with other fans, making contact with at least one while on his way to the locker room. Some threw drinks at Cousins as he had to be held back. 4 DeMarcus Cousins apologized to Puerto Rico fans after he brawled with multiple spectators during Monday's game in the Puerto Rican professional basketball league. X Cousins received a $4,250 fine, the Baloncesto Superior Nacional league announced Tuesday, adding that he could face an additional one of $5,750. The Mets were defeated by the Vaqueros de Bayamon, 101-92, at Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez. Cousins had 11 points and seven rebounds before he was ejected. 4 DeMarcus Cousins #15 of Taiwan Beer Leopards reacts during the T1 League game between Tainan TSG Ghost Hawks and Taiwan Beer Leopards at Taoyuan City Stadium on January 28, 2024 in Taoyuan, Taiwan. Getty Images 'As an organization, we strongly condemn any form of violence or provocation, whether on or off the field. Safety, respect, and sportsmanship are non-negotiable values for this franchise,' the Mets said in a release. In his second season with the Mets, Cousins averaged 18.2 points per game with nine rebounds. He helped them reach the league semifinals in 2023.
