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New York Mets star Francisco Lindor had a conversation with New York Yankees icon Alex Rodriguez earlier this week as his team battles against the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL pennant.
During the conversation, the Yankees legend asked Lindor about the Mets' "no lose mentality" and resilience that has seen them fight through unprecedented odds to make it to the postseason.
Lindor answered:
"Everybody understands it's just one game and everybody understands that we gotta play 27 outs and just get it done. We all want it for each other. Everybody's hungry for winning but also something bigger."
Lindor's words resonated with the team's performance in Game 5 of the NLCS as the Mets, fighting to stay in the postseason, dominated the Dodgers for a 12-6 win, making it 3-2 to the Dodgers in the championship series.
The Mets have found themselves against the wall several times this season but somehow always found a way to fight back, be it the horrendous first half of the season that had them unlikely to make the playoffs at all or being minutes away from being eliminated in the Wild Card series.
Francisco Lindor displays fighting mentality
Following a damaging 10-2 loss in front of their home fans in Game 4, the deflation in the Mets dugout was palpable with their World Series dream on the brink.
However, Francisco Lindor wasn't giving up just yet. The All-Star slugger delivered a rallying cry in his postgame interview:
"If you have no belief, you shouldn't be here. You gotta believe, you gotta fight for what you want, you gotta fight for it," Lindor said.
And when the Mets fought back in Game 5, Lindor reminded everyone about the team's mentality:
"I meant it when I said it – if you don't believe, you shouldn't be here. You have to. There's no other way that we're gonna accomplish the ultimate goal," he said.
The series moves back to Los Angeles for Game 6, another must-win game for the Mets. If the Mets win at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, they'll set up a blockbuster Game 7. Meanwhile, the Dodgers need one more win from the last two games to book their spot in the World Series.
Can the Mets pull off an improbable comeback and even the series on Sunday? Or will the Dodgers have enough to close out the series in front of their home fans? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
