FLUSHING, NY — Francisco Lindor had already won the day before a pitch was even thrown Tuesday night in the Padres-Mets series opener.
A night at Citi Field where the Caguas, Puerto Rico native wore No. 21 in honor of “The Great One” as the Mets celebrated Roberto Clemente Day and also paid homage to Hispanic Heritage throughout a festive-themed evening.
To begin, with his three children wrapped around his arms twenty minutes before first pitch, Kalina, Amapola Chloé, Koa Amani, and Lindor—together on the field—experienced their “everything” be the star, as Lindor’s wife Katia performed a special rendition of the National Anthem on the violin behind home plate.
“Music being such an intricate part of my education and upbringing since I was little, I just can’t imagine my life without it,” Katia said in a previous interview with SNY.
Receiving a massive round of applause from the orange and blue crowd, the daughter duo of Kalina and Amapola Chloé then sprinted up to their mother for a big hug while Lindor, holding his son Koa Amani, joined in seconds later.
Shortly after, the 31-year-old switch-hitting shortstop, a two-time LatinoMVP Award winner, was recognized and honored by Major League Baseball for being named the Mets’ nominee of the 2025 Roberto Clemente Award—the annual recognition of a Major League player who best represents the game through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy, and positive contributions, both on and off the field.
An up-close look of the Roberto Clemente Award – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
“That means I’m making my dad proud,” Lindor told MLB.com. “That means I’m helping others. I’m representing Puerto Rico, my family and the Clemente family the right way. So I’m happy to get another chance of winning it.”
This marks the third consecutive year where Lindor was named a nominee of the Roberto Clemente Award, an honor several previous recipients have deemed one of the greatest accomplishments of their career. To learn more and cast your vote for the winner of this year’s Roberto Clemente Award, visit MLB.com/RobertoClementeAward.
Francisco Lindor paid homage to “The Great One” Roberto Clemente with his customized Marucci bat and Rawlings glove for Tuesday night’s series opener vs. the Padres – Image Credit: Robert Rizzo/Latino Sports
That was just the start for Lindor in the Mets’ 8-3 Tuesday night win. Equipped with a customized Rawlings glove and Marucci bat, both paying tribute to Clemente, Lindor was more than prepared and energized to produce and make a winning impact—leading off the bottom of the first inning with a sharp line drive single to center field off Padres’ right-handed starter Michael King.
He then carried his momentum to the plate his next time up in the home half of the second against King, blasting his 27th home run of the 2025 regular season, to inch him closer to a 30-30 season—currently at 27 home runs and 30 stolen bases with 11 games remaining.
If completed, Lindor’s 2025 campaign would mark the eighth 30-30 season recorded by a Met in the franchise’s history—Juan Soto, 2025 (40 HR, 32 SB & counting), Lindor, 2023 (31 HR, 31 SB), David Wright, 2007 (30 HR, 34 SB), Howard Johnson, 1991 (38 HR, 30 SB), Howard Johnson, 1989 (36 HR, 41 SB), Howard Johnson, 1987 (36 HR, 32 SB), and Darryl Strawberry, 1987 (39 HR, 36 SB).
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Blanca CaninoVigo
September 17, 2025 at 1:51 pm
A great article and a great game. The tribute to Roberto Clemente and Latino Sports does it again. Thank u