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Francisco Alvarez of the New York Mets made some history on Monday night with his walk-off home run.
By delivering the Mets a 4-3 win in the bottom of the 9th inning over the Baltimore Orioles, he became the third-youngest player in franchise history to hit a walkoff home run, according to MLB's Sarah Langs. At 22 years and 274 days, Alvarez is older than only Lee Mazzilli (21 years, 179 days) and Ron Swoboda (22 years, 35 days) to accomplish that feat.
Alvarez's blast came on a 3-0 pitch from Seranthony Domínguez, which he deposited 421 feet to left-center for the first walk-off hit of his career. He knew it immediately, dropping his bat and starting his celebration before he left the batter's box.
ALVY WALKS IT OFF! #LGM pic.twitter.com/Hm1Q2lsxQS
— New York Mets (@Mets) August 20, 2024
“I really appreciate [manager Carlos Mendoza] because he gave me the green light,” Alvarez said, per Andrew Tredinnick of NorthJersey.com. “I just was thinking hit the ball in the barrel and that's it.”
The timing could not have been better. Alvarez entered the ninth inning 0-2 on the night and mired in a 2-25 (.080) slump. It was his first home run since July 26, breaking a drought of more than 50 at bats.
It also bailed out starting pitcher David Peterson. His otherwise brilliant start was spoiled by a balk that forced in a run and a home run from Ramon Urias. Both came with two outs in the seventh inning.
There's no denying what Alvarez's home run did for the Mets. They're chasing the Atlanta Braves in the National League Wild Card hunt. With the Braves off, they needed a win to stay only two back in the loss column.
The win also helped their cross-town rivals. The New York Yankees and Orioles entered the day tied for first place in the AL East. With the Yankees letting an opportunity slip away at the Little League Classic on Sunday, they needed some help from the Mets to inch back into first place.
Francisco Alvarez can give the Mets additional firepower down the stretch
As the Mets chase a playoff spot, they bring a relatively potent offense. They rank fifth in Major League Baseball in home runs, eighth in on-base percentage, and ninth in OPS.
If Alvarez can get going, that lineup becomes that much more dangerous.
“It feels very good,” Alvarez said. “We're fighting to make the playoffs, so I think the bigger thing is I helped the team a lot, so I'm very happy for that.”
He has earned the confidence of his Carlos Mendoza, as well.
“The homer, the impact, I like the at-bats as of late, but for him, to finally hit one out of the ballpark, it's been a while,” Mendoza said. “In that situation, to give us a win, happy for him.”
