The New York Mets began what may be their most difficult series of games with a bang.

Over a 10-game span, the Mets would face the Baltimore Orioles, San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks. New York is currently chasing the latter two teams in the Wild Card standings, while the Orioles are also a serious contender in the American League. With so many playoff implications against these high-profile opponents, the Mets needed to make a statement.

On Monday night, they did just that at Citi Field. 22-year-old catcher Francisco Alvarez, who had been in a 12-for-72 slump since the All-Star break, delivered the first walk-off hit of his career with a game-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth inning, securing a 4-3 victory for New York.

Facing hard-throwing right-hander Seranthony Dominguez with one out, Alvarez hit three pitches outside the zone. Despite the young backstop’s recent struggles and just one pitch away from getting on base, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza decided to let Alvarez swing the bat; Alvarez promptly threw a fastball and blasted a no-doubt 421 feet into the Queens night.

“I’m thinking about swinging the ball and hitting the run,” Alvarez said after the game. “I’m really thankful to Carlos because he gave me the green light.”

“It’s been tough for him,” Mendoza said of his up-and-coming backstop. “He’s 22 years old and he’s struggling in the major leagues. I keep saying it: He cares so much and wants us to win. Sometimes when we’re struggling offensively as a team, he feels responsible and has a lot to do, taking care of the pitchers and things like that.”

“But the home run, the impact, I like the at-bats lately, but for him to finally hit one out of the ballpark, it took a while. In this situation, to get us a win, I’m happy for him.”

The walk-off home run drew a deafening roar from the Citi Field crowd as Alvarez savored the moment with an emphatic bat drop and a strut out of the batter’s box. He was so excited about his first career walk-off hit that he nearly missed home plate before celebrating with his jubilant teammates.

“I don’t know if I missed it, but I came back to touch it,” Alvarez said.

Although the Diamondbacks and Padres won their respective games, New York’s dramatic victory kept them in the race for the NL Wild Card; they currently sit just a game and a half behind the Atlanta Braves in last place.