Luis Severino pitched seven solid innings, Francisco Lindor energized New York’s offense once again, and the Mets moved closer to a playoff spot with a 4-1 win over the Boston Red Sox on Monday night.
Brandon Nimmo contributed with an RBI double and made a great catch in center field for the Mets, who have now won five games in a row and 12 of their last 17. They are now just half a game behind idle Atlanta for the final National League wild card spot.
“We’re close to being in that playoff spot,” Severino said. “So from now on, every time they give me the ball, it’s a chance for me to get my team closer to the playoffs.”
Lindor was cheered with “MVP! MVP!” chants from a crowd of 35,064 during New York’s first home game after a 7-3 road trip. He had two singles, scored a run, and was hit by a pitch. His second hit brought in Luis Torrens to make it 4-1 in the fourth inning.
“I’m not going to lie — it was pretty cool. I felt it, too, and it was like, wow!” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said.
“Looking back to April and here we are, first week of September, and we have 35,000-40,000 people chanting ‘MVP!’ That’s pretty cool.”
Lindor has reached base in a career-high 31 consecutive games and is on a 13-game hitting streak, his longest of the season. Since moving to the leadoff spot on May 18, he is batting .305 with 22 home runs and 60 RBIs.
“He’s everything you could ask from a player. Just proud to write his name in the lineup every day,” Mendoza said.
With a record of 74-64, the Mets are 10 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2022 season. They were 11 games under .500 on June 2.
“What a story, right?” Mendoza said. “And here we are, playing meaningful games in September.”
Severino (10-6) gave up one run and six hits. He had only two 1-2-3 innings but kept the Red Sox to two hits in nine at-bats with runners on base.
