Francisco Lindor helped erase an ugly doubleheader loss in St. Louis with a vital three-run home run in the seventh inning and an even more important tag to catch Corbin Carroll trying to steal second in the bottom of the ninth to preserve the Mets’ 5-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night at Chase Field.
Pete Alonso’s ninth home run of the season staked the Mets (23-13) to a 2-1 lead entering the final third of the game before Lindor provided some much-needed insurance. Francisco Alvarez legged out an infield single, and Tyrone Taylor doubled to put runners at first and third before Lindor launched a mammoth shot out to right-center field, his seventh of the season, that barely missed the pool.
But New York’s four-run lead did not last long after the Diamondbacks put up a three-spot in the eighth. Leading off the bottom of the ninth, Arizona speedster Alek Thomas reached base when Alonso flipped his grounder too high for closer Edwin Diaz, who was running to cover first.
In an attempt to take advantage of Diaz’s slow delivery, Thomas took off in hopes of getting the tying run in scoring position. But Alvarez’s 1.82-second pop time — the fastest of his career — got the ball to second quickly, even if it was headed well to the right of the bag.
That is when Lindor saved the day.
The shortstop dove for the ball, picked it on a short-hop, and tagged Thomas’ calf all in one motion.
“The ball caught me,” Lindor said. “I just went over there and stayed down with it, and the ball hit my glove. Credit to Alvy, he was the one who made the throw. I just went and got it. It was almost like a diving play.”
Diaz proceeded to retire the next two men with little issue to clinch the win.
The Mets had been held to just one hit heading into the fourth inning when Alonso, as he has all season, sparked the offense to life. Following Juan Soto’s second walk of the night, the Polar Bear demolished a 425-foot home run that hit the facade of the second deck in left field.
Alonso went 2-for-4 on the night, which continues his remarkable start to the 2025 season. He is now batting .349 with a 1.143 OPS and 33 RBI to go with those nine round-trippers.
“I’ve been seeing him for years doing something like this,” Lindor said of Alonso. “Now, he’s like a high-average hitter who has a lot of pop, where before he was like a power hitter. He looks fantastic.”
