Monday wasn't just a return to the majors for Francisco Alvarez; it was a culmination of hard work and a good attitude by the Mets catcher that the organization and fans have grown accustomed to seeing during his young career.
So, before his first at-bat with New York after he spent a month in Triple-A diligently working on all the things that the team asked him to do, the fans showed their continued appreciation and support of the 23-year-old by giving him a standing ovation.
Francisco Alvarez gets a big hand from the Citi Field crowd before his first at-bat pic.twitter.com/XkZHeztMJx
— SNY (@SNYtv) July 21, 2025
Not only was it deserved after the work he put in down in the minors (with the results to match), the love from the crowd served as a reminder to Alvarez that they've got his back no matter what.
"It felt really good just because of all the struggles that I’ve had earlier in the season and the way that they’ve kept supporting me and the way they received me today, through all the hard work that I’ve been putting in, it felt really special to me to be able to get that reception from the fans," Alvarez said through a translator. "I’m super appreciative of all the fans here."
Even manager Carlos Mendoza could feel the love from the dugout and thanked Mets fans for the gesture.
"From the very beginning, it was really special for us to see the reception from the fan base," the skipper said after the game. "I didn’t even think anything until he’s walking towards the plate and everybody’s on their feet. Like, shoutout to the fans today because that was special. I feel like he felt it, it meant something for him, it meant something for all of us in the dugout, so that was just the very beginning there."
Alvarez went on to have a nice game and was an important part of the Mets' come-from-behind 7-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels.
It started with his defense, which had become a problem this season, especially in blocking. Put right to the test with Kodai Senga and his dastardly ghost fork on the mound, Alvarez picked a few balls in the dirt on a night that Senga also didn't have his usual control on some of his other pitches.
With Senga done after just three innings, it was obvious New York would need to use a few relievers to finish out the game. The first of those relievers was Kevin Herget, who was making just his third appearance this season.
Herget, with the help of Alvarez, pitched 2.1 scoreless innings to keep the Mets in the game. In fact, the five relievers out of New York's bullpen pitched six innings and allowed just one run, allowing the Mets to stage their comeback. At the heart of it all was Alvarez, who added a caught stealing and had a nice tag on an out at home plate.
Meanwhile, after hitting 11 home runs for Syracuse, Alvarez showed off a much calmer approach at the plate. He walked twice and then had a huge double in the eighth inning that led to the winning run.
Mendoza noticed it all, offensively and defensively, and was proud of how the catcher handled it, particularly after such a long absence from the team.
"Just watching him the whole game, the takes, couple of walks, and then for him to drive the ball like that against a righty, that’s a really good sign," Mendoza said. "Kind of like what we’ve been seeing the past two weeks or so. But it’s just the confidence that you can see it in the box… and it’s just knowing that he’s in control of the at-bat so it was really good to see."
"It feels good and it’s super important, especially because we got the win," Alvarez said about his overall game. "Had we lost this game, and I would’ve hit that double and I would’ve thrown out the runner, it wouldn’t have felt the same. We’re here for the reason of winning, that’s the most important thing for all of us and I think that’s why it was so special to have success on both sides."
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