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Is it the hot corner for the Mets or the hot-bat corner?

Mark Vientos’ playing time suddenly isn’t guaranteed given his early-season doldrums and Brett Baty’s reemergence at third base, but Vientos on Sunday issued a loud reminder that he’s still a capable force.

Vientos homered to put the Mets ahead in the sixth inning, and then in the eighth, after Francisco Lindor’s blast had provided another lead, Vientos delivered an RBI single as part of a 6-2 victory over the Cubs at Citi Field in the series rubber game.

Baty, who had homered three times over the previous two games — including twice on Saturday — was on the bench against lefty Matthew Boyd. But Vientos, with Starling Marte in the DH spot, helped power the Mets to a third victory in four games.

Vientos, previously the full-time third baseman, started at DH on Saturday after not starting a night earlier.


  Francisco Lindor hits a home run in the eighth inning of the Mets’ win over the Cubs on May 11, 2025. Robert Sabo for NY Post Francisco Lindor hits a home run in the eighth inning of the Mets’ win over the Cubs on May 11, 2025. Robert Sabo for NY Post

“Whatever keeps the team winning games, I’m all for it,” Vientos said on a day the Mets scored four runs in the eighth after a sluggish start offensively.

Lindor broke a 2-2 tie with a homer to right field leading off the eighth and Vientos followed Pete Alonso’s double with an RBI single. Brandon Nimmo smashed a two-run homer to complete the outburst.

“That just sums up what we have been doing all year: fighting all the way until the end,” Vientos said. “We have got to keep doing that all season.”

Vientos, who began the day with a .675 OPS, had a second straight multihit game.

“It’s good to see Mark being the player that we know he’s capable of,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “I feel his at-bats have been a lot better and he’s been consistent — maybe he chased [pitches] the last week, but we have seen a lot of [consistency], just not getting results, but finally today it was good to see it.”


  Brandon Nimmo celebrates his home run during the eighth inning of the Mets’ win over the Cubs on May 11, 2025. Robert Sabo for NY Post Brandon Nimmo celebrates his home run during the eighth inning of the Mets’ win over the Cubs on May 11, 2025. Robert Sabo for NY Post

For Mendoza, it’s an exciting time of lineup options, with Vientos and Baty as part of that equation.

“It’s always good when there is a healthy competition,” Mendoza said. “Whether you want to say it or not, we have got a guy that is playing really well, like Baty, and then there’s [Luisangel] Acuña, there’s [Jeff] McNeil, [Tyrone] Taylor, there’s Vientos. There’s a good mix. Marte (1-for-2 with a hit-by-pitch) put together a couple of good at-bats today. It shows that we’re deep and we’re versatile.”

Griffin Canning was sharp for the Mets over six innings, allowing one earned run on two hits and a walk with five strikeouts. Pete Crow-Armstrong’s homer in the sixth accounted for the only scoring against him.

It was a fifth straight start for Canning with one earned run or less surrendered. Canning owns a 2.36 ERA overall.

Luis Torrens delivered an RBI triple in the second that produced the game’s first run. Marte was hit by a pitch with two outs before Torrens hit a shot off the fence in left-center between converging outfielders Seiya Suzuki and Crow-Armstrong.


  Mets starter Griffin Canning throws a pitch against the Cubs on May 11, 2025. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST Mets starter Griffin Canning throws a pitch against the Cubs on May 11, 2025. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST

Crow-Armstrong tied it 1-1 with a homer in the sixth. Canning threw a 94 mph four-seamer that Crow-Armstrong hammered into the right field porch for his 10th homer of the season.

Vientos delivered a go-ahead homer with two outs in the sixth. Boyd threw a first-pitch fastball that Vientos hit over the left field fence.

Nico Hoerner tied it 2-2 with an RBI double against Reed Garrett in the seventh. Garrett walked Michael Busch leading off the inning before allowing his first earned run in his past four appearances.

Lindor’s blast leading off the eighth started the party.

“It’s pretty cool to go up into the seventh, eighth, ninth inning feeling like one of us is going to get it done,” Lindor said. “We have a real good lineup, the coaches continue to prepare us the right way and we do a good job of talking in the dugout and it feels good to have that feeling of anybody can get it done.”

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