'She is the world': Lindor's mom a lucky charm

NEW YORK -- One thing is certain: Francisco Lindor’s mother, Maria Serrano, brought luck to her son on Friday night at Citi Field. Two days before Father’s Day (U.S.), Serrano surprised her son and announced her presence at the stadium. The weekend visit would not have happened without Lindor’s wife, Katia.

Lindor was pleasantly surprised to see her. She hasn’t been well in recent years. In 2020, Serrano suffered an aneurysm that led to a stroke. The family didn’t know if she would be able to travel again. But there she was Friday, talking to her son after the Mets had a team meeting around 5:50 p.m.

“My wife was very emotional, telling me that I was going to get one of the greatest Father’s Day gifts. To me, I was like, ‘All right. Something is happening,’” Lindor said.

“My mother surprised me and my entire family. It fills my heart. I play the game for my mom and my entire family. To have her here at this moment, it’s a win for me. It’s a win for the entire family.”

Serrano stayed to cheer on her son in the Mets’ 10-4 victory against the Marlins. It was the first time she saw him play in New York as a member of the Mets. Lindor had one of his best games of the season; he went 1-for-3 with two runs and four RBIs.

Lindor got things started for New York in the first inning. With Pablo López on the mound, Lindor wasted no time giving the Mets the lead by launching an 0-1 pitch into the black batter’s eye in center field for a three-run homer.

"I think in that situation though, being ahead in the count with … Lindor [at the plate], I thought that pitch could have been better,” López said. “Obviously they know I throw a lot of changeups, being that the case -- I think being in an 0-1 count, I could have executed that pitch better. Just try to expand the zone down and just try to go for the chase. If not, it's still a 1-1 count, I can still make another pitch to get ahead."

Lindor's home run traveled 440 feet, his longest as a member of the Mets. He was yelling and screaming with joy as he ran the bases.

“I’m a person that shows a lot of emotions, but to run the bases, scream -- there were a lot of things going through my mind," Lindor said. "To me, it was very special to do that for the team, and for my mom for sure."

Lindor's prowess with the bat wasn’t his only specialty on Friday. He showed he could pick it with the glove. In the third inning, Lindor made a backhanded stab up the middle and threw out the speedy Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Lindor had to share the spotlight in the sixth inning, when New York scored seven runs. Yes, Lindor drove in his fourth run of the game when he was hit by a pitch thrown by right-hander Tommy Nance with the bases loaded. Nance was in for some more trouble. Pete Alonso came to the plate and hit a grand slam off the right-hander to make it a 10-1 game.

It was Alonso’s 125th career home run and tied Lucas Duda for eighth in franchise history. Alonso also reached the milestone in his 435th game, the second-fastest player to the mark behind former Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard.

“It felt good off the bat, but I was like, ‘Man, I don’t know if the ball is going to go over or [if] he is going to catch it,” Alonso said. “I took a good swing at a good pitch. I didn’t know what was going to happen. Seeing the ball that’s barely going over, that was pretty sick.”

After the game, Lindor was able to introduce his mother to the team. Alonso was happy to see his teammate excel in front of his mother.

“I’m happy that she was able to be here and see him ball out the way he did,” Alonso said.

Most importantly, Lindor is thankful his mother is alive.

“She is better. She is here. So that is a good thing,” Lindor said. “My mother means the world to me. I’ve done commercials with her, she has been to the World Series, cooking for people. She is the world. Then she disappeared after 2020. It’s been a tough long journey here. She is a true warrior. And to see her here -- I’m just happy. She is better.”