Less than four months ago, Francisco Lindor was hit in the face by a pitch from Steve Cishek while squaring to bunt, causing the benches to clear between the Mets and Nationals.
When Lindor stepped in against Cishek on Monday night, it was the bases clearing instead of the benches, as the Mets shortstop overcame his fears of what happened in April to blast a three-run home run to put away New York’s seventh straight win.
“I was trying to get a good pitch to hit,” Lindor said. “l obviously from what happened last time, it’s still in my mind. I saw Marte get hit, then the first pitch was closer than I wanted, and I needed some time for myself to calm down and say ‘OK, he’s not tyuring to hit you.’
“I was scared. That’s all I can say. I was scared. God let me put a good swing on it.”
Starling Marte was hit by Cishek earlier in the inning, becoming the 68th hit by pitch victim on the Mets this season. After taking two straight pitches out of the zone, Lindor launched the big home run into the seats, and the fear of taking a pitch to the face gave way to the thrill of being the hero of the night.
“It feels good for sure,” Lindor said. “Nobody wants to be in the box thinking they’re gonna get hit. But it feels good.”
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