Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Intentionally walking Francisco Lindor with two outs and a base empty is not a difficult decision, but it can still be a motivating one.
Just ask Mark Vientos.
Vientos played the role of hero in the New York Mets’ 7-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series on Monday by launching a two-out grand slam in the top of the second. The grand slam happened after the Dodgers loaded the bases for him by intentionally walking Lindor.
The third baseman channeled Michael Jordan and took it personally:
Vientos ended up going 2-for-5 and is now hitting .378 in the postseason as an offensive weapon who is providing support for Lindor and Pete Alonso and lengthening New York’s lineup.
Of course, there are also far worse people to channel come playoff time than His Airness.
After all, Jordan won six championships with the Chicago Bulls and was the NBA Finals MVP in all six of his Finals appearances. He consistently delivered in the biggest moments with some of the most iconic shots in basketball history.
And Vientos delivered his own iconic moment Monday.
It continued the magic for this Mets team that had to defeat the Atlanta Braves on the final day of the regular season just to get into the playoffs. From there, New York handled the Milwaukee Brewers in the Wild Card Series and stunned the NL East champion Philadelphia Phillies in the Division Series.
The top-seeded Dodgers are just the next challenge, and so far the Mets have been up for it by splitting the first two games on the road in Los Angeles.
Things got somewhat dicey after Vientos’ grand slam gave them a 6-0 lead, as Los Angeles closed the gap to 6-3 in the sixth inning and still had bases loaded with just one out. Yet Enrique Hernández grounded into a double play to end the threat, and the home team didn’t score again for the rest of the game.
The series now shifts to New York for the next three games, and the Mets could clinch a spot in the World Series by taking care of business at home.
Even if they don’t, they know they can come through in Los Angeles as long as motivated players like Vientos are leading the way.
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