Justin Verlander Says ‘F--K ESPN’ During Francisco Lindor Interview

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New York Mets ace Justin Verlander is not a fan of postgame interviews - even when he's not involved.
Following the Mets' Game 2 Sunday night victory over the Cleveland Guardians, in which they swept the doubleheader and series, Francisco Lindor was being interviewed on ESPN's SportsCenter - until Verlander shut things down.
First Verlander yelled in the background: “F–k ESPN! Leave him alone, let’s go!”
Shortly afterward, Verlander came into the picture and said, “Let’s go! My God! Stop asking so many questions!”
Lindor, who laughed it off, said, “You see, he’s rushing everybody. That’s something I learned from him, so, thank you very much!”
Justin Verlander called for the hook on Francisco Lindor's ESPN postgame interview. pic.twitter.com/QRJNRKUSEg
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 22, 2023
The Mets have now won five games in a row to improve to 25-23 and five games back of the Atlanta Braves in the National League East.
In Game 2 of their doubleheader against the Guardians, Lindor hit a solo home run and Verlander dominated across eight strong innings of one-run baseball.
“Sometimes when you’re not going well, you just try to hover around .500,” Verlander told reporters after the game. “As long as you can grind and find a way to stay afloat, you go on a good run and all of a sudden you look up and it’s like: Wow, our record’s getting better.”
The Mets began their home stand with a deflating loss against the Tampa Bay Rays, where Verlander gave up six runs. But they definitely finished on a high note, ripping off five straight wins and sweeping the Guardians.
New York also got six shutout innings from Max Scherzer in Game 1. The team is hoping to ride their expensive aces to the postseason in Scherzer and Verlander.
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Pat Ragazzo is the main publisher and reporter for the Mets On SI site. He has been covering the Mets since 2018. Pat was selected as The Top Reporter & Publisher of the Year 2024 by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) for outstanding leadership, dedication, and commitment to the industry. He has appeared on several major TV Networks including: NBC4, CBS2, FOX5, PIX11 and NY1; and is a recurring guest on ESPN New York 880 AM and WFAN Sports Radio 101.9 FM. Pat is also the Mets insider for Barstool Sports personality Frank "The Tank" Fleming’s podcast. You can follow him on Twitter/X and Instagram: @ragazzoreport.
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