NY Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor cautious with celebrations after Edwin Diaz WBC injury: "I learned my lesson"
In a recent interview, New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor explained the reason behind his muted cautious celebrations in his team's two walk-off victories over the last week.
The Dominican hit the walk-off single in the high-scoring series opener against the Cleveland Guardians which led to bench-clearing celebrations from his teammates.
However, he has explained the reason behind not getting overexcited during celebrations as his memory of his national teammate Edwin Diaz's injury is still fresh from the World Baseball Classic.
Francisco Lindor's Dominican teammate Edwin Diaz injured himself during Puerto Rico's post-game celebrations after their win against the Dominican Republic in the WBC.
While Wednesday's walk-off homer against the Tampa Bay Rays from Pete Alonso also prompted similar celebrations, Lindor looked from a few paces away and preferred not to get his feet off the ground too much.
However, after his own walk-off single on Friday, he was rushed by his teammates and surrounded from all sides. Still, he tried his best to remain composed and put himself out of any danger of injury.
Afterward, he explained that he still remembers Diaz's injury during their celebrations in the WBC and that the incident has repeatedly played on his mind in the past week.
“I learned my lesson. I have a lot of excitement, but I saw one of my teammates,” he trailed off, adding, "At some point I will jump. If we win the World Series, we do cool things, at some point I will jump.”
Francisco Lindor not jumping to celebrate Mets walk-offs after Edwin Diaz injury: 'Learned my lesson' nypost.com/2023/05/22/met… via @nypostsports
Francisco Lindor wins it against his former team! #walkoff https://t.co/lOoae5zMun
Francisco Lindor and the New York Mets close in on top spot after five consecutive wins
The New York Mets have been on a good run of form in the MLB over the last week, winning five games in a row to reach second place on the NL East table.
Led by shortstop Francisco Lindor, they have won three games against the Cleveland Guardians and are one away from a clean sweep. They are currently four wins behind the division leaders and closing in rapidly.