Following the Mets’ season-ending loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers Sunday, Oct. 20, John Mayer took to social media to praise the team and star Francisco Lindsor. In the post, the “New Light” singer called the Mets shortstop a “new source of inspiration,” especially after Mayer injured his finger over the summer.
“You could see the dedication in his eyes, in his plays — you could even see it in his strikeouts; it wasn’t a case of ‘couldn’t,’ only ‘didn’t that time,’” Mayer wrote on Instagram.
Lindor joined the Mets in 2021 with high expectations and a 10-year, $341 million contract (per ESPN). Despite a slow start in previous seasons, Lindor’s grand slam during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies Oct. 9, helped the Mets land a spot in the championship series, the first time since 2015.
Mayer drew parallels between Lindor’s undulating journey this year, and his own. During a 10-week residency at Las Vegas venue the Sphere with Dead & Company, Mayer crushed his left index finger in a truck door. Given the band’s ever-changing set list each night, Mayer had to relearn a range of songs, practicing every day with his remaining fingers. He used the Mets games as a metaphor for his Sphere performances, comparing wins to the moments on stage when the “music was cooking, when the notes matched the intention, when the zone could be found.”
“When I injured my finger and looked down to see half the nail sheared off and bleeding, my first thought was how to play with the other three fingers,” Mayer continued. “That was what Lindor would have done, and so that’s what I did.”
On Sunday the Mets lost to the Dodgers 10-5, securing the Los Angeles’ team a date with the New York Yankees in the World Series. Despite the loss, Mayer praised the shortstop, and the Mets, for a rewarding season, calling it “more than enough.”
“I hope that in the next few days, after the disappointment has had its say, that Francisco and the entire team realizes that what they accomplished was enough,” Mayer continued. “Their monumental run was enough to unify a city, bring together families, friends, and remind us all that above all else, nothing is more powerful a force in achieving success than effort. A boring word, ‘effort.’ But it’s the only chance of good becoming great and that greatness taking hold for the long run.”