New food at Citi Field for 2025: Video
New food is unveiled at the What’s New at Citi Field media event on Tuesday, March 25, 2025.
NEW YORK — The power switch was on for the Mets in their return home on Friday night.
As the series between the Mets and Cubs — pace-setters in their respective divisions — got underway, the Cubs were supposed to boast the high-octane offense.
They entered the series with 56 home runs — second-most in the National League. The Mets’ 42 long balls were the 11th most in Major League Baseball.
It proved to be the home side that showcased its firepower in the series opener.
The Mets blasted four home runs in the opening four innings and cruised to a 7-2 victory over the Cubs in front of 41,243 fans at Citi Field. All nine members of the team’s starting lineup collected a hit in the win, which helped the Mets improve to 25-14..
“I think everyone in the lineup stuck to our plan, our approach and we executed,” Francisco Lindor said. “When you do things like that and you play good defense and the pitching staff continues to do what they do, usually we come out on top.”
Clay Holmes did not require much assistance offensively. He limited the Cubs to one earned run on three hits and three walks with five strikeouts to improve to 5-1 on the season.
Francisco Lindor leads it off
Lindor has a way of setting the tone for an exciting night at Citi Field.
When he steps to the plate and “My Girl” by the Temptations hits the airwaves, a certain electricity courses through the ballpark in Flushing. This season, the Mets shortstop has had a way of providing some extra early excitement.
In the Mets’ first at-bat of the game on Friday, Lindor turned on an inside fastball from Jameson Taillon and deposited it over the wall and into the home bullpen in right field. It was Lindor’s fourth leadoff home run of the season and 24th of his career.
“Just trying to get a good pitch to hit and get on base for the guys,” Lindor said. “I have two really good hitters behind me and the lineup is deep, so just get on base for them and let them do what they do best. It just so happens that they’ve been going out. Enjoy it and turn the page.”
Lindor jump-started a balanced offensive effort, finishing 3-for-5 with two runs, a stolen base and an RBI.
Juan Soto keeps offensive surge going
If April belonged to Pete Alonso — the reigning National League Player of the Month — then maybe May is set up for Juan Soto.
The Mets superstar outfielder continued his tear through the second full month of the season with one of the longest home runs at Citi Field this season.
In the bottom of the fourth inning with the Mets leading 5-1, Soto put his mark on the game, tagging a 434-foot solo home run off Taillon onto the Citi Pavilion in right-center field.
“Impressive. Impressive. I don’t think I even get there during BP, so to do that during a game, very impressive,” Lindor said. “When no one in the stadium moves, you know he got it.”
Soto has now blasted three home runs in the Mets’ last two games and five in the first eight games in May. He finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and a walk, lifting his average to .268 on the season.
So far this month, Soto is 11-for-30 (.367) with seven RBI, nine runs and seven walks. He’s reached base safely in all eight games.
Lefty-righty splits: Brett Baty, Jeff McNeil leave the yard
Before the game, Carlos Mendoza acknowledged he felt he had a good handle on Taillon, who spent two seasons alongside him with the Yankees in 2021 and 2022.
The Mets manager opted to sit Mark Vientos for the second straight game to get the left-handed hitting Brett Baty in the lineup. He was hoping to play Jeff McNeil in center field before the veteran pulled up with a hamstring cramp during Wednesday’s win over the Diamondbacks.
Mendoza penciled McNeil in at designated hitter despite Taillon not allowing a home run to a lefty this season.
“It’s a small sample size here,” Mendoza said. “I went back the past few years and when you look at what lefties do against him, they do damage.”
The decision paid dividends in the bottom of the third inning when Baty took Taillon the opposite way for a solo home run to left field and then McNeil pulled a solo shot to right field to put the Mets ahead 3-0.
It was Baty’s first home run since he rejoined the Mets on May 5, filling in for the injured Jesse Winker. Baty had driven his first home run of the season on April 23 before being demoted the next day.
“Every day there’s good reasons the way we construct the lineup, who’s playing, who sits,” Mendoza said. “Yes, we got good players and a lot of times we’re gonna have success and a lot of times it’s not gonna work. Today, yeah, it’s great it worked, but it’s baseball.”