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Francisco Lindor hits grand slam to send New York Mets to NLCS for first time since 2015



CNN

Francisco Lindor wrote another chapter in the New York Mets’ remarkable season on Wednesday night when he hit a grand slam to take the lead and reach the National League Division Series (NLDS) with a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 4.

The win advances the Mets to the National League Championship Series (NLCS) for the first time in nine years, and marks the first time the franchise has made a playoff series at Citi Field, the stadium that opened in 2009.

With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the sixth, Lindor sent Carlos Estévez’s fastball over the wall in right-center field to give the Mets a 4-1 lead and cause delirium in the stands.

“Just in awe,” teammate Pete Alonso said of perhaps the greatest moment Citi Field has ever seen, according to MLB.com. “That was the swing of a lifetime.”

“I’m blessed that my daughters and my wife are here and can watch Dad do something special,” Lindor told Fox Sports.

Lindor’s year mirrors that of his franchise. Booed by his own fans early in the season, the Puerto Rican called a players-only meeting in late May after a 10-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers meant New York was 11 games under .500.

Since then, the Mets have gone 72-42 and Lindor has staked an NL MVP claim. The short stop was the hero on the last day of the regular season. His go-ahead two-run home run in the ninth inning against the Atlanta Braves sent the Mets through to the postseason.

Francisco Lindor follows up with his grand slam home run in the sixth inning.

For much of Wednesday night, it looked like it would be a game of missed opportunities for New York. After leaving the bases loaded in the first and second innings, the Mets trailed 1-0 in the fourth when Mark Vientos bobbled a ground ball from Alec Bohm and Bryce Harper came home to score.

But Lindor returned to action, bringing home all four of the Mets’ runs with one swing of the bat before Edwin Diaz closed out the victory in the ninth.

“I want to win it all, and our team will be a team that will be remembered forever,” Lindor told MLB.com after the game. “This will be a team that comes every ten years and eats for free everywhere. And I want to do that. I want to do that. But the job is not done yet.”

The Mets now travel to Los Angeles or San Diego to begin the best-of-seven NLCS on Sunday.