On eve of Father's Day, Lindor becomes girl dad for second time

NEW YORK -- The smile on Francisco Lindor’s face said it all on Saturday evening, even after the Mets' 5-3 loss to the Cardinals at Citi Field.

Lindor became a girl dad for the second time that morning when his wife, Katia, gave birth to Amapola Chloe. Her name, Lindor said, is inspired by the beautiful flower from Puerto Rico, which he also has tattooed on his left arm.

“It’s such a beautiful journey,” Lindor said. “It’s one of the coolest processes in the world. Hats off to all the moms out there. It’s incredible what they do. I know tomorrow is Father’s Day, but I wish it was always Mother’s Day. It’s incredible what they do. Their job, the process that they do is out of this world.”

Lindor -- who homered in his first at-bat against the Cardinals on Sunday -- was not placed on the paternity list. The Mets' infielder went to sleep three hours after 5:30 a.m. ET, when the baby was born. He woke up at 10:15 a.m., as his older daughter, Kalina, asked to hold her baby sister.

Still, Lindor believed he could start in Saturday’s game against St. Louis. In fact, he arrived at Citi Field before the game started, ate breakfast and took a nap. But manager Buck Showalter wanted Lindor to rest, so he started Luis Guillorme at shortstop. Lindor eventually entered the game in the ninth inning as a pinch hitter and was hit by a pitch from right-hander Jordan Hicks.

“I knew I had a chance to be in the lineup,” Lindor said. “I wanted to be here [at the ballpark]. I told Buck, ‘[Do] whatever you think is best for the team.’ And he said, ‘You need to rest.’”

On Sunday afternoon, Lindor was in the starting lineup, hitting third against the Cardinals.