It’s been a rough year for many in Puerto Rico, which is still recovering from September’s Hurricane Maria and the prolonged blackouts that have been a fact of life for many since then. But the world’s paying some extra attention this week thanks to the first MLB regular-season series there since 2010, a two-game affair between the Minnesota Twins and the Cleveland Indians. And in the opener of that series Tuesday, Indians’ shortstop and Puerto Rico native Francisco Lindor cranked a fifth-inning full count home run to put Cleveland up 2-0, and the crowd at Hiram Bithorn Stadium (which barely survived the hurricane) went wild:
That’s quite the reaction, and it helps show how special a moment this was for many in Puerto Rico. Lindor in particular is still remembered fondly by many there:
https://twitter.com/MLBastian/status/985884065638371328
https://twitter.com/MLBastian/status/986013531073114112
https://twitter.com/MLBastian/status/986404744875962368
And his mother Maria Serrano was in the crowd, and she had a great reaction too:
Frankie Lindor's mom approved of that homecoming homer. pic.twitter.com/67gmU3LtgC
— Anthony Castrovince (@castrovince) April 18, 2018
FS1’s Jon Paul Morosi interviewed her shortly afterwards:
Morosi also interviewed Lindor shortly before his home run:
Incredible atmosphere in Puerto Rico tonight. Thanks to @Lindor12BC for his time right before he stepped to the plate. @MLB @FS1 https://t.co/TXCwEb75w1
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) April 17, 2018
That’s a great moment for Lindor, and it’s awesome to see how heavily it was embraced by the crowd.