NEW YORK -- At 9:57 p.m. local time Wednesday night, two weeks and a day after their last victory, the New York Mets' bleak losing streak mercilessly ended after 12 games.
The skid ceased when Luke Weaver struck out Byron Buxton swinging on a changeup for the precious 27th out of a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field. Once it was over, Weaver looked up at the sky as the remaining fans braving the frigid conditions erupted and his teammates rejoiced around him.
"It was a sigh of relief," Weaver said.
But Francisco Lindor was not on the field for the collective exhale. The Mets' elusive victory -- and Juan Soto's return from the injured list -- was marred by Lindor exiting the game because of left calf tightness after scoring a run in the fourth inning. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Lindor would undergo an MRI exam Thursday. He indicated putting Lindor on the injured list for the first time in nearly five years is likely.
In another sign of the Mets' misfortunes this season, the setback coincidently occurred during Soto's first game since straining his right calf April 3.
"We got relatively good news with Soto and [he] still [missed] three weeks," Mendoza said. "So we'll see what we're dealing with."
Lindor was injured running from first to home on Francisco Alvarez's double to the right-center field gap. The five-time All-Star grimaced and labored as he moved around the bases, unable to shift into top gear, which made for a close play at the plate. He slid feet first, just beating the relay throw, and stayed on the ground for an extra moment before going into the Mets' dugout and didn't emerge for the fifth inning.
He departed the game after going 2-for-2 with an RBI to continue his recent hot stretch at the plate after a dreadful start to the season. The veteran delivered a two-out, RBI infield hit in the first inning and a single to left field in the fourth. He clubbed a three-run home run in the Mets' 5-3 loss to the Twins on Tuesday. He had four RBIs in 24 hours after compiling one in the Mets' first 22 games.
Bo Bichette, the Toronto Blue Jays' starting shortstop for seven seasons before joining the Mets (8-16), moved from third base to replace Lindor at shortstop. It was his first appearance there this season. Mendoza declined to declare Bichette his starting shortstop should Lindor have to sit out. Bichette, batting leadoff for the first time this season, doubled and scored in the first inning.
Lindor, 32, has appeared in every game for the Mets this season after sitting out most of spring training because of a fractured left hamate bone in his hand. He has played through a variety of different ailments in recent seasons, including lower back soreness in 2024 and a broken right pinkie toe last season. He has not been on the injured list since straining his right oblique in July 2021.
"I wouldn't hesitate if we need to play Bo there," Mendoza said. "But I'm pretty sure we'll bring someone in here that's capable of playing the position as well."
Lindor's arduous gallop around the bases to score in the fourth inning gave the Mets a 2-1 lead. From there, the Mets did not make securing the win easy.
Buxton hit a home run in the sixth inning for the second consecutive night to tie the score. Minutes later, in the bottom of the frame, Mark Vientos, attempting to score from first base on Marcus Semien's double to the wall in left field, ran through third base coach Tim Leiper's stop sign and was thrown out by several feet to end the inning. Two innings later, Soto, after lining a leadoff single, was picked off at first base.
The baserunning blunders were erased when Vientos rebounded with a go-ahead, two-out bloop single to score Brett Baty. Weaver then worked around a two-out single to give the Mets their first win since the first full week of the season.
"I think this adversity can be good for us," said Clay Holmes, who held the Twins to two runs over seven innings. "So I just think realizing that and having this early, hopefully it brings us together and we'll continue to fight. Every day is a new day."
Having Soto on Wednesday helped. Soto was typical Soto as the Mets' designated hitter Wednesday. He swatted a 104.2-mph, 387-foot flyout in the first inning, crushed a 104.3-mph lineout in the third, and worked a walk in the fifth before his single in the eighth. He brought back his Soto Shuffle. He'll play in the outfield Thursday before the Mets reassess his workload for their weekend series against the Colorado Rockies.
But losing Lindor would amount to another significant blow when the Mets' recent play has slashed their margin for error. No team has ever reached the postseason after going through a 12-game losing streak. Only three teams in the wild-card era (since 1994) have reached the playoffs after winning eight or fewer of their first 24 games. History is already against the Mets. Going without Lindor for an extended period will only decrease their chances of defying it.
"We can't sit here and make excuses," Mendoza said. "It's all part of it. We lost Soto and we had a hard time. Now we're potentially dealing with losing another really good player and we got to figure it out. We got to find a way. But, again, we got to wait and see what we're dealing with here."