Francisco Lindor has long been praised for his defensive abilities as a perennial Gold Glove winner. And on Friday, his abilities were put to the test while speaking with the Apple TV broadcast team in their season-opening broadcast of Friday Night Baseball.
In the second inning of Game 2 of the season-opening series between the New York Mets and the Houston Astros, Lindor spoke with the Apple TV broadcast team — Wayne Randazzo and Dontrelle Wills — while in the field defensively for the Mets.
Unfortunately for those expecting to hear a ton of insight from Lindor, he found himself quite busy with the game happening on the field.
The first batter of the inning, Astros first baseman Christian Walker, hit a rocket on the ground right at Lindor, which Lindor made look like an incredibly routine play.
“Oooooh, let’s get it boys,” said Lindor after fielding the first ground ball coming in at 110.5 MPH ground ball off the bat from Walker.
“Yeahhh,” replied Dontrelle Willis. “Those cleats got to move around for a reason.”
“85? You think I got 85?” Lindor asked a teammate, referring to how fast the throw over to first base was from him. “That was definitely at least 88.”
Astros catcher Yainer Diaz followed Walker in the lineup and ultimately had the same result as his teammate, lining out to Lindor, who expressed his excitement about going two for two in the inning.
“There it is,” said Lindor. “Two for two, boy. Two for two.”
“Let me tell you something. You wear the Gold Glove. But I want my name announced at that thing,” replied Dontrelle Willis.
For Lindor to have this kind of concentration to make the plays in the field and also chat with the Apple TV broadcast team certainly shows what kind of talent he has in the field. And naturally, media members watching at home took notice of his time in the spotlight.
“Unpopular opinion: Players being miked up during games is fun,” wrote Greg Rajan of the Houston Chronicle.
“Analysis: Professional baseball players are really good. This was a 110.5 mph shot off Christian Walker’s bat that Francisco Lindor made routine,” wrote SNY freelance writer Ben Krimmel.
“Francisco Lindor is hosting the best New York sports talk show while he plays SS,” wrote Mets beat writer Ben Yoel.