Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Heroes are forged in the postseason and Francisco Lindor was exactly that and more for the New York Mets on Saturday. Needing a win in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series against the San Diego Padres, Lindor stepped up and led the offense to a huge win to set up a do-or-die Game 3 on Sunday.

While Max Scherzer took the majority of the blame for a shocking loss in Game 1 on Friday, the offense also failed to show in the first postseason game in Queens since 2016. The Mets’ bats went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and they left 15 runners on base, while some of the team’s big power hitters failed to deliver in huge spots.

That had to change heading into a decisive Game 2, and the Mets needed one of their franchise cornerstones to really step up and lead the charge. That man proved to be Lindor who did a little bit of everything on the offensive side of the game, setting the tone for the rest of the offense early.

Lindor hit a first-inning home run, crushing it 403 feet to left-center field. This following a five pitch at-bat and it gave something for the Citi Field crown to finally cheer. Righting a big wrong from the night before, the Mets did a real nice job of making the pitcher work and Blake Snell‘s pitch count was driven up early before he was eventually chased from the game. Whereas they wasted golden opportunity after golden opportunity on Friday, Lindor and the Mets made sure that every swing counted on Saturday and getting back to basics proved to be the vital recipe for success.

“That’s our key,” Lindor said after the game. “We tried on Friday but you just got to tip your hat to Yu Darvish and the rest of the pitching staff. We (on Saturday) played our game and we came out on top. You always want to start on the right track. That’s really important but that’s not the key. The key is to continue to do it the whole entire game, you know. Stay on it, stay on it.”

And Lindor did just that. He stayed right on it. Having been quiet in the Mets’ last four games – going 2-for-16 during that span without an extra-base hit – Lindor used his first inning homer as a springboard for more success. He drew a walk in the second inning, singled in the seventh and scored two runs, becoming the straw that really stirred the drink for the Mets’ offense on Saturday. Furthermore, he was also electric on the base paths by taking extra bases on multiple occasions and he was the true difference maker in Game 2.

“You’ve got to get it done, there’s no other choice,” Lindor said. “Go out there, no excuses, compete, compete, compete, give it your best and hope for the best.”

Lindor, who finished 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs, a walk and an RBI, certainly gave it everything he had on Saturday as he was also incredibly effective in the field too. If the Mets are to come out on top in a winners-take-all Game 3 on Sunday, then they will need another all-action, dominant outing like the one Lindor delivered on Saturday. If he can produce another monster night at the plate, then that will go a long way towards setting up a mouthwatering showdown with the Dodgers in the NLDS.