CHICAGO — Francisco Alvarez stopped a step or two short of first base. He turned his body to the right, toward the New York Mets’ dugout, so he could fully see the faces looking back at him with exuberance. The 23-year-old, playing in pain, paused because he had something to tell his teammates and had no interest in completing a trip around the bases before saying it.
“I just said, ‘Let’s go,’” Alvarez said through interpreter Alan Suriel. Upon hearing the translation, Alvarez flashed a huge grin. Because that was not all he said. There was also a profanity or two said in Spanish. No matter. The Mets sure got the message.
“He wants to be the guy,” Mets reliever Brooks Raley said. “That speaks to his character. That speaks to his winning mentality. It’s contagious.”
After his shouting and motioning toward the Mets’ dugout, Alvarez completed his home run trot.
By then, Alvarez supplied the Mets with just what they needed on Tuesday night with just five games left. His two-run home run in the eighth inning provided the final margin, 9-7, in a game the Mets absolutely had to win over the playoff-bound Chicago Cubs. His energy provided a necessary jolt of life into a chase for the final wild-card spot that the Mets regained control of.
FRANCISCO. ALVAREZ. pic.twitter.com/8xm2xdaRnz
— New York Mets (@Mets) September 24, 2025
The Mets (81-76) hold a one-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds (who lost on Tuesday) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (who won). Both the Reds and Diamondbacks own respective tiebreakers over the Mets.
New York, of course, finds itself in such a precarious position because of a months-long meltdown.
Throughout a season that featured more ups and downs than the world’s best roller coaster, the Mets could’ve used someone with more of an edge. An emotional player. Someone who speaks out. Someone who turns things up. How about the guy with “the best” tattooed across his neck? The guy playing with a broken pinky and bum thumb? The guy who stops and stares after hitting a critical home run when every game means everything for the Mets’ playoff hopes?
A couple of Alvarez’s teammates used the same word when describing the moment: electric.
“That’s who he is,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We feed off that. Guys love it. As a team, we need that. We need that spark. We need that energy. For him to do it at that moment, we all felt it in the dugout. He’s special.”
He’ll have to continue to deliver — in similar chances recently, he struck out to end a game in Philadelphia and was robbed of a home run at Citi Field — but perhaps Alvarez can be that guy over this final week. Club officials point him out as a potential leader in future years, as long as he stays healthy and productive. Throughout his four years, uneven production and injuries have stalled his growth. But the potential for more — because of his offense, defense, work ethic and personality — has long existed.
After all, it was Alvarez who, on the first day of spring training, declared the Mets’ lineup as MLB’s deepest. Throughout the season, New York failed to live up to the proclamation. Instead, they were inconsistent, running hot and cold. On Tuesday, however, the Mets showed why Alvarez made such a statement way back when.
There were plenty of other big hits from others (though no one else motioned toward the dugout in quite the same style). Francisco Lindor led off the game with a home run and drove in two other runs with a ground out in the fifth inning and a single in the sixth. Brandon Nimmo contributed an emotional lift with a three-run home run in the fifth inning that tied the score at 6-6. Further demonstrating Alvarez’s point, Alvarez batted ninth in the order. If the Mets are going to make the playoffs, chances are their offense needs to lead them there.
A bigger problem than any possibility of a missing personality trait in their clubhouse is the Mets’ pitching and defense. Their up-and-down offense is an issue, too, but individual statistics offer more hope. On Tuesday, Jeff McNeil made two errors at second base, Juan Soto misplayed a fly ball in right field and starting pitcher David Peterson lasted for four outs. While waiting for his offense to complete a comeback, Mendoza managed with urgency, deploying six relievers, including closer Edwin Díaz for two innings. The group delivered: The Mets’ bullpen allowed just two runs (one earned) in 7 2/3 innings with 10 strikeouts.
“I can’t be thinking about tomorrow,” Mendoza said. “I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do here to win today.”
The Mets play five more games to close out the regular season. Jonah Tong and Nolan McLean are the Mets’ starters for their remaining games against the Cubs. From there, the Mets visit Miami for three games. Where they will be in the standings at that point is anyone’s guess, though FanGraphs gives them 67.4 percent odds of holding onto their playoff spot.
The only thing clear at this point: Alvarez’s emotional charge put them in a better place, at least heading into Wednesday.
(Photo: David Banks / Imagn Images)
