Brandon Nimmo celebrated the 4th of July with a stellar performance in the Mets’ 7-4 win over the Reds in Cincinnati. The Mets’ center fielder, who is having another solid season with the bat while playing the best defense of his life, was at the center of the fireworks show the Mets offense provided on Monday.

Nimmo, operating in his customary leadoff spot, hit Reds starter Hunter Greene‘s fifth pitch of the night 107 mph for a leadoff single. Nimmo, who had not attempted a single stolen base prior to last night’s game despite possessing above average speed and getting on base at an elite clip, was thrown out attempting to steal second. The Mets would go on to load the bases in the first inning–even after Nimmo’s caught stealing–only to strand all three runners when Eduardo Escobar popped out to second base to end the threat.

Nimmo more than made up for the stolen base attempt in his next at bat, which ended in a three run-homer to right center fielder that traveled 388 feet and had an exit velocity of 102.7 mph.

In his third at-bat of the night, leading off the fifth inning, Nimmo saw 12 pitches from Greene before lining out to right field. Still, even in making an out, it is possible Nimmo contributed to the next run, as two batters later, Francisco Lindor hit Greene’s twentieth pitch of the inning over the right field fence to give the Mets a lead they would never relinquish.

Nimmo returned to his patient ways in the sixth inning, working a five-pitch walk to set up a two-on, two-out opportunity for Starling Marte.

In all, Nimmo went 2-for-4 with one run scored, a walk and three RBIs in Monday’s Mets win. The Mets’ centerfielder is now slashing .272/.356/.426, good for a .782 OPS. Despite a 1-for-13 series against the Rangers over the weekend, Nimmo’s offensive production in 2022 is good for a 123 OPS+.

After the game, Nimmo reflected on helping the Mets become the first team in the National League to reach the 50-win plateau this season.

“I’d say, given what’s happened in the first half of the season, we’d be pretty happy if you told us in the beginning of the year, ‘hey these things are going to happen and you’re still going to be at 50 wins or 51 wins by the end of it,” he said.