Francisco Lindor hit two home runs, including a grand slam, to fuel the New York Mets' 12-2 rout of the New York Yankees on Saturday.
The shortstop's performance was the highlight of a potent offensive showing that produced a season-high six home runs for the Mets. Luis Torrens, Carson Benge, Juan Soto, and Jared Young also homered in the game.
"It's been an uphill fight this year," Lindor said, referencing the team's struggles with injuries throughout the season. "But when we do play together and we are all in the same lineup, this is what we should have been doing since the beginning."
Lindor's hot streak continued, with seven home runs in his last 12 games. His grand slam in the eighth inning marked the eighth of his career and sixth in a Mets uniform.
The Mets scored five runs against Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole over 4 1/3 innings, with Lindor opening the scoring with a home run against him. "He's one of the best pitchers in the game," Lindor commented on Cole. "We have a crazy amount of respect for him, but he made a couple of mistakes."
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Lindor's grand slam came in the eighth inning after the Mets loaded the bases with two outs following an RBI double by Torrens.
Despite the strong finish, the Mets will miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season, a result of earlier struggles. The team is 22-13 since the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
"Build on our relationships and try different things to be as strong as we can," Lindor said when asked about the team's goals for the remainder of the season. "Guys would be lying if they said they don’t want to have good years. Everybody wants to have a good year, whatever their good year means for them. You are trying to give what you have got and learn each other."