WASHINGTON -- Francisco Lindor had been waiting to reach the 300-home run milestone for a while now. The Mets’ star shortstop was riding a 13-game homerless streak into Game 162 against the Nationals. He had last hit a long ball on Sept. 12, when he actually launched two homers out of Yankee Stadium.
But Lindor didn’t have to wait too much longer once the season’s last game finally got underway after a one-hour rain delay at Nationals Park on Sunday.
Lindor launched career home run No. 300 in the top of the second inning during the Mets' 6-4 loss to the Nationals. His 21st of the season came off Nationals left-hander DJ Herz, traveling a Statcast-projected 409 feet to left field at 110.8 mph off the bat.
“For sure, for sure,” Lindor said, when asked if the milestone was something he was thinking about coming into the last game of the season. “I wasn't trying the past couple of days. I was just trying to have good at-bats. And then today I said, 'You know what? I'm gonna try to hit a home run.' It doesn't work out like that all the time, but today it did. Somehow, some way it worked out, so it's not something I'm gonna take into next year. Enjoy today and try to find a way to get better, because I have to get better.”
Per the Elias Sports Bureau, Lindor is the fifth player to have played at least 50 percent of his games at shortstop at the time of his 300th home run, joining Ernie Banks, Cal Ripken Jr., Alex Rodriguez and Miguel Tejada.
“I don't think it's often you get to see baseball history,” said manager Andy Green. “Shortstops don't do that. Only five in history, and he's [the only shortstop] in the 300-200 club. He's been a special teammate in the entire time I've been here. He's been an unbelievable competitor. His career speaks for itself. We all know where it's ultimately headed, and know that where his head is right now, he wants a special year next year, especially.”
Lindor also became the 11th switch-hitter with at least 300 homers in his career, and the second of those with 200 stolen bases as well, joining Carlos Beltrán.
“Special for sure. Wish we would have won, but I think it's a cool number,” Lindor said. “I'm blessed to be in the position I am today. I thank a lot of the coaches. I thank a lot of the trainers. You know, to hit 300, you have to be healthy for a long time. And the trainers here, Cleveland, my people have helped me a lot to stay on the field. So it seems like it's a day for me, but at the end of the day, it's for all those people that have pushed me to be better day in and day out, and made me better and made me stay on the field.”
Lindor’s homer was the second of back-to-back jacks hit by the Mets in the second inning after Ronny Mauricio homered in his third straight at-bat dating back to the two he hit in Saturday’s 7-1 win.
But that would be the last run the Mets would score in 2026. The Nationals held them scoreless over the final seven innings of the game and took the lead in the fifth on Andrés Chaparro’s second homer of the day. The Nats added an insurance run in the seventh on Brady House’s RBI single.
The Mets ended the season 74-88 for their first last-place finish in the National League East since 2003. But despite Sunday’s loss, they finished the season strong with a 34-31 record after the All-Star break, a big improvement from the 40-57 first-half record.
That gives the Mets positive momentum and something to build on heading into the offseason.
“Hungry to change the narrative,” Green said. “We got three, four months here to get after it in the offseason. [For] each guy to kind of chase the best version of themselves, and then after that's done, get together in Spring Training and get after it and do something special together.”
“We have some good pieces,” Lindor said. “Our relationships grew. Guys are getting used to being in New York. The coaching staff, that was the first time in the big leagues. Now it's going to be Year Two. I think we are moving forward with whatever happened in the past couple of months. I think we are propelling ourselves to go forward. Yeah, I feel like we're gonna be in a much better spot next year.”