The Mets defeated the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night 4-3, taking the rubber game and series from the hottest team in the National League after going 0-5 on their previous road trip.

However, the Mets’ win on Wednesday didn’t come easily, as they were one mistake away from losing another game in the late innings. Thankfully for New York, their rookie catcher Francisco Álvarez made a heads-up play that changed the trajectory of the game.

Francisco Álvarez. David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

With two outs in the top of the ninth, Ian Happ faced Phil Bickford — who came into the game to clean up Adam Ottavino‘s mess — with the bases loaded. The right-hander got ahead of Happ with a 1-2 count, but was about to make a major mental mistake. Bickford had taken too long between pitches and had gotten set to throw with only three seconds left on the pitch clock, prompting Álvarez to call time and sprint to his pitcher with only one second remaining on the clock.

By running out to Bickford, Álvarez saved his pitcher from getting hit with a pitch clock violation, which would have raised the count to 2-2. While the difference may seem minuscule to the naked eye, the advanced statistics display an enormous difference between the two. In 2020, MLB batters had a wOBA (weighted on-base percentage) of .228 in a 1-2 count. In a 2-2 count, the wOBA was .273.

After Álvarez’s heads-up play, Bickford got a second chance with his 1-2 count and struck out Happ to end the game. With their 4-2 win, the Mets improved to 52-62 and took the series from the Cubs, who had won 16 of their last 21 games.

Álvarez has been one of the few bright spots on the Mets in 2023, and he continues to prove that he is more than just a power bat. Throughout the season, he has established himself as one of the best pitch framers in MLB and has impressed many top players and figures with the Mets. After the game, Buck Showalter praised Álvarez for his alertness and winning tendencies.

“I don’t think that’s just because he’s 21. When he’s 31, he’s not going to have that button off. He really enjoys playing. baseball and has that type of infectious energy that makes people pull for him. But I don’t think it’s something that’s going to go away.”

From a player perspective, future hall-of-famers Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer complimented Álvarez’s play before they were traded. The two of them highlighted his willingness to learn and the work that he’s done to improve behind the plate.

“I can’t say enough great things about him,” Verlander said about Álvarez in May. “He cares number one, which shows big time behind the plate in the prep work. That goes miles for pitchers. I think we all know that the bat is going to be there, but the work he’s done behind the plate and the improvements he’s made are a great sign for him as a future major leaguer.”

“He’s going to be a great player,” Scherzer stated after a start in June against the Phillies, where he allowed two runs and struck out nine batters in seven innings with Álvarez behind the plate.

With 48 regular season games remaining, and the Mets having a 1.9% chance to make the playoffs, according to Fangraphs, Álvarez remains one of the few reasons for fans to watch the Mets. In his rookie year, Álavrez is slashing .231/.295/.487/.782 with 21 home runs and a 113 OPS+. He currently trails Josh Jung (22) by one for the most home runs hit by a rookie in 2023, and Johnny Bench (26) for the most home runs hit by a 21-year-old catcher in a season by five.