'He may have just outdone himself!' Hear Howie Rose's call of Lindor's slam
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NEW YORK ¨C With the bases loaded in a potential series-clinching Game 4 of the NL Division Series, Francisco Lindor needed only 4.4 seconds to turn Citi Field into a wild eruption of exclamations and cheers.
Lindor blasted his second career postseason grand slam off Phillies reliever Carlos Est¨¦vez in the sixth inning to give the Mets the lead over the Phillies on Wednesday in their eventual 4-1 win, the Mets' first series-clinching victory at home since Citi Field opened in 2009.
A 2-1, 99.4 mph fastball in the zone from Est¨¦vez quickly became one of the most significant of Lindor¡¯s career. Lindor rocketed it 398 feet to center field at 109.5 mph to send the crowd into a frenzy.
On the Mets' radio broadcast, Howie Rose put words to the pandemonium: "Swing and a drive toward the gap in right-center; it's pretty deep! It's back near the wall! It's gone! It's gone! Francisco Lindor! He may have just outdone himself! He's hit a grand slam into the Phillies' bullpen in right-center field!"
The Mets had loaded the bases in the first and second innings but could not plate a run, leaving eight runners on through the first five frames. Rose made note of that:
"They were famished for the big hit all night, and Francisco Lindor just provided a feast!"
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Lindor joined Edgardo Alfonzo as the only Mets players to hit a postseason grand slam.
While with Cleveland, Lindor also hit a grand slam in Game 2 of the 2017 AL Division Series against the Yankees.
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The Mets loaded the bases against the Phillies¡¯ bullpen after Ranger Su¨¢rez delivered 4 1/3 scoreless innings. J.D. Martinez singled to center field off Jeff Hoffman and advanced to second base on a wild pitch. Starling Marte was hit by a pitch from Hoffman, and both runners advanced on another wild pitch. Tyrone Taylor drew a walk to load the bases for Francisco Alvarez, who grounded into a forceout to home.
But when the Phillies called for Est¨¦vez with the bases still full, Lindor delivered.
Lindor¡¯s slam was the Mets¡¯ second go-ahead homer this postseason while training in the sixth inning or later, joining Pete Alonso¡¯s three-run homer in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series. The club had only one such home run in franchise history prior to this year, in 1986 by Lenny Dykstra in Game 3 of the NLCS.
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