Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Timing is everything in life, and Brandon Nimmo was able to put his recent troubles behind him to come up clutch in the biggest spot possible as the Mets beat the Marlins 6-4 on Friday night. It has been tough going for the outfielder since the All-Star break, but he was able to rediscover his groove at the plate when his team needed him the most.

While the Mets as a team have struggled offensively in recent weeks, Nimmo was perhaps the biggest example given his inability to get anything going at the plate. He was just 3-for-22 with a .136 average since the All-Star break heading into Friday night and, while he was doing an excellent job of staying alive in some at-bats with a lot of foul balls, he was struggling to make an impact on games.

All that changed on Friday, however. After hitting a double earlier in the game, Nimmo saved his best for last as he crushed a two-run homer to right field in the top of the eighth inning. That proved to be the deciding factor, and it was clear to see how much Nimmo’s crucial blast meant to everyone, given that the entire bench exploded in celebration. It was also a special moment for Nimmo himself, given his recent struggles, and you could see and hear the frustration and the relief ooze out of his body in the way he celebrated.

“I’ve been struggling a little bit since the All-Star break, so I felt like I haven’t been contributing offensively to the club,” Nimmo said. “So, being able to come through after some of those struggles, it really meant a lot to me in that moment. And also, in the stretch down here, going up against Alcantara and us coming back and matching them run-for-run and being able to put us ahead there, for me, this was a really big win for us, especially after the Yankees series. I did get pretty excited for it.”

Nimmo’s heroics late on aside, the 29-year-old also laid the foundations for the Mets to be able to stage a comeback. Down 3-0 in the top of the second and struggling to crack the impossible code that is Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara, something had to give. And give it did. Up at the plate after striking out in his first at-bat, Nimmo was able to double on a sharp fly ball to center field to get the Mets on the board. That then allowed Starling Marte, who had a big night himself, to triple to score Tomas Nido and Nimmo and pull his team to within one of the Marlins.

Nimmo, despite limited production for the past week or so, never lost confidence, and he was able to absolutely crush both of his hits on Friday. Both his double and his home run traveled over 400ft, with his eighth inning homer boasting an exit velocity of 104.0 MPH. And the outfielder again spoke about the emotions he was feeling after coming up with such a huge, huge hit late in the game.

“Just a real desire to want to come through for the guys, and just help out and contribute offensively,” Nimmo said. “So, when I got a hold of it I was pretty ecstatic, pretty happy, and these are big games for us. I really felt like this game was one that we really needed to try and take it at all costs, because when you’re able to get to a guy like that (Alcantara), it means a lot. I was really happy about that hit once I got it.”

It was important for the Mets to build on their sweep of the Yankees in the Subway Series, and they accomplished that by getting a big win against the Marlins on Friday. It was also crucial that Nimmo, who finished 2-for-5 with three RBI, broke out of his offensive slump and came up with some sizeable contributions. However, hitting in flashes won’t be enough down the stretch and in the postseason, and Nimmo is aware that more work is needed.

“It’s obviously a positive note to build on, but you don’t show up to the field the next day and think you’ve got everything figured out,” Nimmo said. “It’s still a work in progress, I’m still going to be trying to get better, but it is a step in the right direction, no doubt.”