Lindor cherishes gift of surprise visit from mom
Francisco Lindor was pulled out of the Mets’ clubhouse before Friday’s game for what turned out to be a joyous surprise.
His wife, Katia, had arranged for Lindor’s mother to fly to New York to watch him play at Citi Field for the Mets for the first time. After they were reunited in the team’s press conference room just before 6 p.m. Field, the $341 million shortstop belted a three-run home run in his first at-bat to send the Mets on their way to a 10-4 win over the Marlins.
“I was very, very surprised,” Lindor said. “After my team meeting, I saw my wife and she was very emotional and she said she was going to give me one of the greatest, happiest Father’s Day gifts.
“It fills my heart. I play the game for my mom and my family . ... Just to see her here is a dream and a victory for my whole entire family.”
Lindor’s mother, Maria Serrano. is confined to a wheelchair due to recent health problems stemming from a 2020 head injury. She flew to New York from Florida with one of Lindor’s sisters and her family. Another sister and her family also attended the game after arriving from Puerto Rico.
“She’s better for sure. She’s here, so that’s a good thing,” Lindor said. “We were all scared, and have been a little concerned about her flying . ... For those of you that know me, my mom is the world to me.
“It’s been a long tough journey for her. She’s a true warrior. And to see her here, I’m just happy that she’s better. It gave me that extra little energy that I needed.”
Lindor entered the game batting .163 with a .456 OPS over his previous 12 appearances. But with two runners aboard in the first inning, he rocked Miami starter Pablo Lopez’s 0-1 changeup next to the Home Run Apple in dead-center for his 10th homer of the season. He pointed to a suite where his family was situated and emphatically clapped his hands after crossing the plate.
“I’m a person that shows a lot of emotions but to run the bases and scream like that, there were a lot of things going through my mind,” said Lindor, who also was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the sixth for a fourRBI night. “That to me was very special, to do that for the team and for my mom, for sure.”