Francisco Lindor's signature Mets moment has arrived

It took a few months, but Francisco Lindor's signature Mets moment finally came on Sunday night against the Yankees.

Already a dramatic series occurring over the Sept. 11 20th anniversary weekend and things split 1-1 between the two sides, Sunday's game capped things off beautifully -- for the Mets that is.

Lindor crushed not one, not two, but three home runs -- including the eventual game winner in the bottom of the eighth off Chad Green -- to give the Mets a thrilling 7-6 win and 2-1 series win over their crosstown rivals.

"It was an exciting emotional weekend between two good teams," Luis Rojas said after the game.

Months after a shaky start to his Mets career at the plate and now finally past the thumbs-down booing debacle with the fans, Lindor came through at the perfect moment to cement himself as the new face of the Mets.

"I don't think Mets fans forget things," Lindor said after the game with a smile on his face. "But it definitely probably helped them to start (or continue) believing in me a little bit more.

"When I came out of the dugout (for a curtain call) and acknowledged them, it was special for sure. It was a cool moment in my career.... It was a good day, I'm glad we ended up on top."

The shortstop gave the Mets their first lead of the game in the second inning, taking Clarke Schmidt deep for a three-run homer to make it 4-2.

After tacking on another run to make it 5-2, the Yankees closed the gap on a Gleyber Torres, two-run shot. 

But Lindor answered right back in the next frame, hitting a solo shot to deep center off Wandy Peralta to make it 6-4. Lindor became the 11th Met to hit a home run from each side of the plate in one game.

Lindor chirped at the Yankees dugout while rounding the bases this time around, after some speculation that the Yankees were whistling from the bench and tipping pitches during Saturday's game seemed to anger some of the Mets.

"I don't know... it sounded like there was something going on," Lindor said.

So Giancarlo Stanton answered back, hitting a game-tying two-run homer in the seventh and then talking some smack back to Lindor while he rounded the bases. This eventually led to the benches clearing and Citi Field buzzing as loud as it has all season.

"I don't think he was trying to fight, I think he was just saying 'I can do it too'... and I respect that," Lindor said. "Both teams probably misinterpreted right there."

Then came the dagger. Lindor sent his third ball of the night into the seats to give the Mets a 7-6 lead that they'd hold on to for the rest of the night.

He became the first Mets or Yankees player to ever hit three home runs in a Subway Series game -- dating back through all 139 games of this series in its history, including the 2000 World Series.

"This is the Francisco that we all expect, and I think this is the Francisco that the Mets fan base are going to get for years," Rojas said.

The win puts the Mets back at .500 (72-72) on the season, 5.0 GB of the Braves for the NL East crown and a closer 3.0 GB of the San Diego Padres and Cincinnati Red for the second NL Wild Card spot.