As Francisco Lindor watched his second home run sail into the left field seats to put an exclamation point on Friday's home opener victory, he joked that only one thought crossed his mind as he crossed home plate.
"Thank God I didn't strike out," Lindor laughed.
Last year, a strikeout would have likely resulted in some boos from the home crowd, who rained plenty of it down on the superstar shortstop as he struggled through the 2021 campaign, his first with the Mets and first since signing a record contract extension. But on Friday, Lindor went deep from both sides of the plate and extended his hitting streak to six games, further putting last season's struggles in the rearview mirror.
"I'm giving myself time to hit," Lindor said. "I'm slowing the game down and I'm being consistent. Hopefully I can continue to do that. That's what I worked on the whole offseason, and right now it's paying off."
The reception from the Citi Field crowd was much different than it was down the stretch of last season, when boos were answered by thumbs downs, but on Friday, it was all applause for the hopeful franchise centerpiece.
"It felt amazing to be welcomed to one of the greatest fanbases out there," Lindor said. "It felt great to be able to hear my home crowd cheer me on and cheer the rest of the guys. It's special. I thank them for coming out. At the end of the day, I play for my family and for them."
Lindor was one key component of a day that included the unveiling of Tom Seaver's statue outside of the stadium, celebrating the team's home opener, and big-time contributions from newcomers Chris Bassitt and Starling Marte. But Lindor's continued bounceback was the story of the afternoon.
"It's a great day to be a New York Met," Lindor said. "Huge day for the New York Mets. We just have to continue to play well."
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