Hiram Bithorn Stadium was alive on Friday night as the home fans cheered on Team Puerto Rico in its World Baseball Classic opener versus Colombia.
The loudest cheers, however, might have come from someone watching the game on his couch. Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, who is unable to play for Puerto Rico as he recovers from left hand surgery, made sure the team knew that even though he wasn’t with them in the dugout, his presence was only a phone call away.
2026 World Baseball Classic
• How to watch games live
• Scores and schedule
• Standings and tiebreakers
• Tickets and venues
• Rosters
• Players by MLB team
• Complete coverage
Following Puerto Rico’s 5-0 victory, Lindor crashed catcher MartÃn Maldonado’s postgame interview via a FaceTime phone call with Kiké Hernández. The Dodgers utility man showed his phone to a pumped-up Maldonado and then to the TV camera so everyone could see Lindor dancing and soaking in the joy from afar of Puerto Rico’s triumph.
Lindor remains on track to play for the Mets on Opening Day. Between now and then, we’ll probably see many more videos of a joyous Lindor rooting on Puerto Rico in the WBC. And we’re here for all of it.