DENVER — Francisco Lindor had a soothing remedy for his broken right pinky toe — a go-ahead hit.
Questionable before Friday’s game, the Mets shortstop entered as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning and delivered a two-run double to send New York to a 4-2 win over the Colorado Rockies.
Lindor sent a cutter from reliever Zach Agnos (0-2) into right field to score Juan Soto and a sliding Pete Alonso. It was Lindor’s first go-ahead, pinch-hit RBI of his career, according to the postgame notes.
“Once it comes to those moments, I’m just there to make something happen,” Lindor said. “Just get a good pitch, and whatever happens, happens. Don’t let the moment get too big.”
He tuned out any pain from his toe once he stepped into the batter’s box.
“Something is not 100 percent for sure. But I’m not the only one,” Lindor said. “I would say most of the guys are not 100 percent. So there’s no excuses.”
Lindor said manager Carlos Mendoza asked him around the fourth or fifth inning if he might be available to hit. His response was simple.
“I said, ‘Yeah,'” Lindor said.
Lindor’s availability — pain and all — comes as no surprise to Alonso.
“That’s really special, having a teammate willing to put his body on the line every single day like that,” said Alonso, who had a big game with his bat (a two-run double), his arm (he threw out a runner at home in the fifth) and his sliding ability (he avoided a tag at home on Lindor’s double). “That’s a true pro, in my opinion, and he embodies that.”
Lindor’s pinky toe was broken by a pitch from Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Tony Gonsolin in the first inning on Wednesday. He sat out Thursday and recovered enough to pinch-hit Friday.
He may even be in the lineup Saturday.
“I would like to start,” Lindor said. “It’s going to be up to the trainers and [Mendoza], and we are going to make a decision together. … Hopefully, tomorrow I’ll wake up in a good spot.”
Lindor is hitting .282 with 14 homers and 38 RBIs this season. He finished runner-up to Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani in the NL MVP race last season.
Ronny Mauricio filled in for Lindor at shortstop against the Rockies on Friday. He had a double in the eighth, his first hit since being called up Tuesday.
In Wilmington, Delaware, Mets lefty Sean Manaea made a rehab start for High-A Brooklyn against the Blue Rocks. He threw 36 pitches — 26 strikes — over 1⅔ innings, allowing four hits and three earned runs. Manaea, who has been sidelined all season by an oblique injury, struck out two and didn’t walk a batter.
The 33-year-old Manaea re-signed as a free agent with the Mets for $75 million over three years. He went 12-6 with a 3.47 ERA in 32 starts last season.
