Better than a bat flip? Lindor cartwheels on HR trot in charity game
Francisco Lindor knows how to have a good time on a baseball field. But ¡°Mr. Smile¡± took his fun-loving ways up a notch on Saturday night in Puerto Rico.
During a charity home run derby and celebrity softball game hosted by fellow Puerto Rican MLB stars Jos¨¦ Berr¨ªos and Javier B¨¢ez, Lindor went deep off of veteran utilityman Kik¨¦ Hern¨¢ndez. Lindor could have punctuated the moment with a bat flip, but he had something better in mind: A cartwheel.
The Mets¡¯ superstar shortstop celebrated his dinger by going heels over head as he made his way to first. He showed perfect form, too. But you know what would have made it better? If the home run had actually counted.
Yes, you can see in the clip of Lindor¡¯s homer that he didn¡¯t touch third during his trip around the bases. The solo homer was taken off the board, and the call was confirmed by replay review. Because even in a celebrity softball game, you still have to follow the rules.
All proceeds from the sold-out event benefited Berr¨ªos¡¯ Fundaci¨®n La Makina and B¨¢ez¡¯s El Mago Foundation, both of which aim to support communities in Puerto Rico.
Other players who participated in the event included Edwin D¨ªaz, Alexis D¨ªaz, Jurickson Profar, Jorge Polanco, Heliot Ramos, Carlos Beltr¨¢n, Willi Castro, Mart¨ªn Maldonado, Jose Miranda and Carlos G¨®mez.
¡°I¡¯m really happy to be here supporting my teammates and my brothers and be able to put on such a beautiful event for the people of Puerto Rico,¡± Lindor said. ¡°[Berr¨ªos and B¨¢ez are] doing tremendous work. It¡¯s amazing. I¡¯m really proud of them.¡±