Queens, NY— Francisco Lindor continued his torrid stretch at the plate Monday night, belting two home runs — including a leadoff blast for the second straight game — to lift the New York Mets to a 5-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in their first head-to-head matchup of the season.
Jesse Winker added a solo shot of his own as the Mets extended their winning streak to five games and improved to an impressive 10-1 at Citi Field. Things got tense late, however, when the Phillies rallied for four runs in the ninth. But closer Edwin Díaz slammed the door, striking out Trea Turner and Bryce Harper in succession to lock down his sixth save.
Right-hander Tylor Megill (3-2) was dominant, giving up just one hit over 5 1/3 shutout innings while tying his career high with 10 strikeouts.
Lindor wasted no time putting New York on the board, launching Aaron Nola’s fifth pitch of the game into the second deck in right field. He wasn’t done — the star shortstop returned in the seventh with a three-run shot to nearly the same spot, pushing the Mets’ lead to 5-0. The homer echoed his postseason heroics from last October, when he hit a grand slam in that very location to eliminate the Phillies in the NLDS.
Lindor now has five home runs on the year — four in his last four games, including a dramatic walk-off. It marked the 20th time he’s homered twice in a game as a shortstop, trailing only Alex Rodriguez (33) and Ernie Banks (24) in MLB history at the position.
The Phillies made things interesting in the ninth. J.T. Realmuto delivered an RBI single off Max Kranick, and Bryson Stott followed with a three-run homer off Díaz to pull Philadelphia within one. But Díaz rebounded with authority, silencing the comeback attempt with back-to-back strikeouts.
Nola (0-5) was charged with four runs and allowed seven hits in 6 1/3 innings, his longest outing of the season.
Turning Point:
With New York clinging to a 2-0 lead in the sixth, reliever Reed Garrett struck out Realmuto to strand runners on the corners, preserving the shutout.
Stat of the Game:
Lindor became just the third Met to hit leadoff home runs in back-to-back games, joining Kaz Matsui (2004) and Curtis Granderson (2017).
On Deck:
The series continues Tuesday as Mets right-hander Griffin Canning (2-1, 3.43 ERA) faces Phillies southpaw Cristopher Sánchez (2-0, 2.96 ERA).
