New York Mets star shortstop Francisco Lindor knows a championship team needs to have chemistry off the field just as much as when they’re playing on it.
As leaders in the clubhouse, Lindor and Brandon Nimmo had an idea to make sure teammates had real, genuine bonds with each other.
Team dinners. Mandatory team dinners.
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Lindor spoke to Fox News Digital about how this new ritual on the first night of each road trip has elevated their team camaraderie this season.
"We don’t really have the time to sit down and talk," Lindor explained while also discussing Champs Sports’ new brand platform, "Sport For Life." "We sit down as an offense, and we all talk. The pitching staff, they sit down and talk. But it’s rare when we all have the opportunity to sit down and talk and just bounce ideas from one side to another.
"By creating these team dinners, it’s the only chance we got besides going on the bus all together to a city."
Lindor explained that, while baseball is always top of mind, the conversations they have are about their personal lives.
"We sit down for like two hours and talk and laugh and make fun of each other," he said, smiling. "Talk about random stuff. It’s the one time that we have, so all about keeping good vibes. All about growing our team chemistry.
"We had an amazing time, and from there, we just continued to become part of what we’re doing on the road."
Nimmo showed just how important these team dinners are at the beginning of July, when a rain delay during their game against the Houston Astros on June 30 ruined travel plans before their series against the Washington Nationals.
Instead of canceling, Nimmo rented out the conference room in the hotel where they stayed in Washington, D.C., and had food ordered so they could keep the tradition going.
When the Mets had that first team dinner in May, they didn’t know they’d have their roughest stretch of the season, going 9-19 in the month, which made some fans believe the season was already over.
Even Lindor noted that if things didn’t turn around, "you put the front office in a position where they get to do what they think is best for the future and not for the year."
But through the adversity, the Mets never lost focus and bounced back in June, putting themselves in a position to compete for a playoff spot.
Of course, play on the field is the reason for improved standings, but Lindor knows just how important creating that work-life balance with your teammates has been to make that happen.
"Very important," he said. "It goes back to this campaign – ‘Sport For Life.’ We’re playing a sport and it’s our life. Going out and talking about not just baseball. Talking about our kids, talking about how I didn’t sleep the night before because my daughter was sick, or for some reason I had too much on my mind and I couldn’t sleep. Talking about random stuff.
"It helped us to get together, it helped us understand each other a little more and play for each other. At the end of the day, that’s what you want. That’s what championship teams do – they play for each other."
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