MLB superstar makes strong statement about facing former Tennessee Vols pitcher
New York Mets superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor is having an MVP-caliber season, but he looked like an overmatched little-leaguer in his first at bat against Chicago White Sox LHP Garrett Crochet on Sunday afternoon. Crochet, a former Tennessee Vols standout who pitched in Knoxville from 2018 to 2020, struck out Lindor on five pitches in […]
New York Mets superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor is having an MVP-caliber season, but he looked like an overmatched little-leaguer in his first at bat against Chicago White Sox LHP Garrett Crochet on Sunday afternoon.
Crochet, a former Tennessee Vols standout who pitched in Knoxville from 2018 to 2020, struck out Lindor on five pitches in the shortstop's first at bat.
Strike 3 to Lindor was a 99 MPH fastball that Lindor said moved as much as any slider or cutter that Crochet has.
"He was extremely tough today," said Lindor after the Mets' 2-0 win in Chicago. "He executed his pitches very well. The first strikeout, in the first at bat, he threw me a 99 MPH fastball that cut as much as any other cutter or slider that he's got. So after that, I was like I gotta keep my eyes on the baseball and put the ball in play."
Crochet struck out the first seven Mets batters that he faced on Sunday. And he retired the first nine without allowing a baserunner.
Lindor, however, showed why he's an MVP candidate in the fourth inning, hitting Crochet's first pitch of the inning over the left field wall for a solo home run (which led to MVP chants from Mets fans that traveled to Chicago) .
That's baseball for you — there isn't an elite pitcher alive that hasn't given up a home run. Crochet, though, still has an incredibly bright future after a breakout 2024 season.
