Lindor's Clutch Ninth-Inning Blast Snatches Victory from Cardinals

Here it is:

In the heart of the Big Apple, under the dazzling glow of Citi Field’s lights, a game unfolded that had Mets fans on the edge of their Yankee-stitched seats. A rollercoaster of emotions, mistakes, and sheer brilliance painted the scoreboard with a 5-4 victory for the home team. And when the dust settled in the ninth, it was Francisco Lindor, the Mets’ shortstop sensation, who carved a moment that’ll be replayed at old-timers games for years to come, and your laptop screen should fill with awe right now because that’s not where this story ends folks… now hold onto your IoT devices.

Lindor, known for his silky smooth glove work and hefty bat flips, decided to throw a little twist into the evening’s entertainment leading off the ninth. He took a swing at a cutter from Ryan Fernandez, launching it not into the stands, but into the hearts of Mets fans as he sent the ball soaring into the right field second deck for his 250th career homer. The crowd erupted, pure pandemonium as Lindor rounded the bases, knowing full well he was sealing not just a win but a chapter in Mets lore.

But oh, the Mets saga wouldn’t be complete without the usual drama, would it? Earlier, Brendan Donovan’s bat sang in the ninth, and what a beautiful song that was, tying the game with a solo home run off Mets reliever Huascar Brazobán. That moment, though? Fleeting like a hip hop album topped by another in a week. The real meat of the matter, the bite of the hot dog, was Lindor’s walk-off, leaving us breathless and ready for MORE from this season’s rollercoaster ride.

ELSEWHERE ON THE FIELD, around innings not owned by Lindor:

– Juan Soto, in a batting slump, mustered up one nice RBI single which tied things up in the fifth.

– Nolan Arenado tried to swing the Cardinals back in the driver’s seat but his RBI single was met with an answer from the Mets via Tyrone Taylor’s spectacular triple.

– Pete Alonso tripled too, steeped in slugging nostalgia, but was left stranded like a lonely old piece.

Now, as we dust off our headsets and consider Soto’s run of bad luck and Donovan attempts to keep his streak alive, can you feel it, that rising excitement for the next game?

To cap it all off, with anticipation hanging thicker in the air than a late night fog over the Hudson:

LEARN MORE

NEW YORK — Francisco Lindor homered off Ryan Fernandez leading off the ninth inning, and the New York Mets survived a late blown lead to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4 on Friday night.

Brendan Donovan had homered off Huascar Brazobán (1-0) starting the the top of the ninth, tying it at 4 with a drive off the netting of the right field foul pole.

Lindor drove a cutter on the third pitch from Fernandez (0-2) into the right field second deck for his 250th homer and his first walk-off homer with the Mets.

Torrens had tied the score with an RBI double in the eighth, his fifth hit in 13 at-bats with runners in scoring position.

St. Louis batters struck out 15 times.

Juan Soto, in a 3-for-31 slide, capped a two-run fifth with a tying RBI single that drove in Tyrone Taylor, who had tripled in the Mets’ first run.

Nolan Arenado’s RBI single put the Cardinals back ahead 3-2 in the sixth but Vientos tied the score against Kyle Leahy when he homered for the second straight night.

Opposite-field run-scoring singles to right by Pedro Pagés and Jordan Walker had built a 2-0 lead.

Mets starter David Peterson allowed three runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings with nine strikeouts and no walks.

Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas lowered his ERA from 9.00 to 7.64, giving up two runs and five hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Donovan extended his hitting streak to 14 games, the longest in the major leagues this season.

Brandon Nimmo entered in a 1-for-15 slump, was dropped as low as sixth in the order for first time since April 5, 2021.

Key moment

Arenado, the Cardinals’ 10-time Gold Glove third baseman, made a diving tag on Luisangel Acuña for the first out of the eighth. Acuña overslid the base on Brandon Nimmo’s grounder to him.

Key stat

Pete Alonso hit his eighth career triple, his first since July 22, 2023, and was stranded in the first.

Up next

Cardinals LHP Matthew Liberatore (1-1, 3.93) and Mets RHP Kodai Senga (2-1, 1.06) start Saturday.