With 27 home runs and 30 stolen bases on the year, Francisco Lindor began play 0n Wednesday, needing three home runs over the final six games to become the first Met in 16 years to join the 30-30 club. Lindor had been vocal about wanting to achieve the feat, but with just one homer over the past two weeks, he needed a power surge in the season’s final week.
That power surge came during Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Marlins. Lindor slugged his 28th home run of the season off Braxton Garrett in the opener of the doubleheader. In the nightcap, he connected on two solo shots, his 29th and 30th of the season, in his first two at-bats off Johnny Cueto to become the fourth Met to join the 30-30 club. He joins David Wright, Howard Johnson (three times), and Darryl Strawberry as the only Mets to reach 30-30.
With his third home run of the day, Francisco Lindor joins the 30-30 club and re-ties the game with one swing!
pic.twitter.com/7YElUNJ8X3— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) September 28, 2023
“Francisco has a great grasp of baseball history,” Buck Showalter said following the doubleheader. “He loves being a part of it.”
Along with his 30 doubles, he joined a short list of shortstops to put together this kind of well-rounded season.
The five seasons in Major League Baseball history by a shortstop with at least 30 HR, 30 2B, and 30 SB:
2023 Francisco Lindor
2008 Hanley Ramírez
2007 Jimmy Rollins
1998 Alex Rodríguez
1996 Barry Larkin— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) September 28, 2023
“I don’t play for numbers, but it’s really hard not to play for numbers here in New York,” Lindor said on Wednesday. “Numbers come up a lot here. But it means a lot. To be in the category with guys that I idolized growing up like [Barry] Larkin and [Carlos] Beltrán, those guys to me are very special in my life. And to be in the same category as them is pretty cool.
Needing three homers in the season’s final six games, the chances of Lindor reaching the milestone looked bleak as time was running out. Fortunately for Lindor, he had a premier power hitter in the clubhouse in Pete Alonso.
“I asked Pete, ‘Pete, how do I hit this guy?’” Lindor said. “He gave me his approach and plan, and I went into the box trying to be like Pete in a way, and it worked out.”
While the new rules put in place by MLB certainly helped Lindor reach 30-30 for the first time in his career, it should not take away from the amount of hard work that goes into putting a 30-30 season together. Along with the combination of power and speed, the ability to be in the lineup every day has made this 30-30 season possible for Lindor, something that his manager made note of on Wednesday.
“He does get more chances because he posts up,” Showalter said. “What a great example he is for these young players up here to see how important it is. Good things can happen if you keep posting up.”
Photo by Roberto Carlo
Lindor became the third player this season to reach 30-30, joining two of the game’s top young stars in Atlanta’s Ronald Acuña Jr. and Seattle’s Julio Rodríguez. All three players have already reached 150 games played this season.
2023 was another terrific individual year for Lindor, but with the Mets having already been eliminated from postseason contention, the Mets’ shortstop is already thinking about how he and his team can be better in 2024.
“He’s all about baseball and the Mets and to put together something to be the last team standing,” Showalter said. “That’s what we’re all trying to do here. It’s been challenging for him this year, but he’s never given in. I’m awfully proud of him. We’re lucky to have him.”
