The Sunday night game this week in Major League Baseball was game three of the Subway Series, with the Yankees visiting the Mets in Citi Field and there were some fireworks late in a dramatic 7-6 (box score) Mets victory. Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor played hero with three homers, including the eventual game-winner. But first, the aforementioned fireworks.
Benches cleared after Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton homered to tie the game. During his home run trot, he had some words for Lindor and things escalated from there. Here's the homer and the ensuing fallout.
Giancarlo Stanton hits a home run to tie the game and has some words for Francisco Lindor as he rounds the bases so benches clear pic.twitter.com/l4eAdOI3f8
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 13, 2021
Some close-up shots here of Stanton and Lindor:
Giancarlo Stanton and Francisco Lindor going back-and-forth. pic.twitter.com/Bc7VeFFTP7
— Justin Groc (@justgroc) September 13, 2021
— Justin Groc (@justgroc) September 13, 2021
Stanton appears to be telling Lindor he shouldn't be talking (trash) and that's a reference to Lindor's homer earlier in the game.
Last night the Mets thought the Yankees were stealing pitches by whistling so after hitting his second home run tonight Francisco Lindor was doing a whistling motion toward the Yankees as he rounded the bases pic.twitter.com/gZEjss59RM
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) September 13, 2021
As noted in the above tweet, on Saturday night the Mets believed the Yankees were stealing signs from Taijuan Walker and were whistling from the dugout to help the hitter identify the pitch. The Mets took issue with this and we can see the fallout.
In the seventh on Sunday, cooler heads prevailed and it was mostly just a bunch of standing around with some grandstanding. Perhaps the most humorous moment was Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner flashing two thumbs down in the direction of Lindor and Javier Bàez . One might recall that a few weeks back Bàez said the thumbs down motion was the Mets' version of booing their fans who had been booing them and Lindor was also involved.
Lindor would, however, have the last laugh in the bottom of the eighth when he hit his third home run of the game:
THREE HOMERS FOR FRANCISCO. 😱 pic.twitter.com/D4iO3ClKOV
— MLB (@MLB) September 13, 2021
This marked the first time ever someone in the Subway Series had a three-homer game and it also was the first hat trick of Lindor's career.
Stanton actually came to the plate in the top of the ninth with two runners on and two out with a chance to flip things back to his side, but Mets closer Edwin Díaz induced a pop up to, fittingly, Lindor to end the game.
The Mets move to 72-72 on the season, which is three games back of the second wild card and five out in the NL East. The Yankees fall to 79-64, which is now one game back of both wild card spots.