Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Leadoff hitters are put in that spot for a reason. They are expected to be the straw that stirs the drink, the key cog that ensures the rest of the machine operates smoothly. Brandon Nimmo was certainly that, and more, for the New York Mets on Saturday.

After a day of nostalgia and emotional festivities at Citi Field, as the Mets welcomed Old Timer’s Day back to Queens, it was then down to business with the National League East playing host to the tightest and most entertaining pennant race in all of baseball. With the Braves not going away, the Mets knew they needed to take care of business against the Rockies. In doing so, they needed to start taking advantage of what is now a light schedule after a tough stretch.

They started well with a walk-off win on Friday night, and Saturday proved to be more of the same. And it all started with Nimmo who did what a leadoff hitter should do. That being set the tone for the night and provide a much-needed spark for the rest of the Mets’ offense. It took just the second pitch he faced for Nimmo to cause some damage as he blasted a 433-foot leadoff home run over right field to get the Mets on the board early.

It was Nimmo’s 12th home run of the year and also a crucial moment in the overall context of the game given that the Rockies never had chance to settle in. While Nimmo may not always get the share of the plaudits that the likes of Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor do, the seven-year veteran plays a crucial role on this team. As he was happy to flash some power early to get a packed Citi Field rocking.

“It was a good game for me personally,” Nimmo said. “I’m glad I could contribute. I got a good first pitch to hit in the first AB, hit it well and that was one of the better home runs I’ve hit this year. It was more flush, more driven, more to my potential I feel like, so that’s a good sign. Happy I could contribute.”

On a night where the offense had to settle for what they were given, Nimmo continued to come up with big, important hits in clutch moments. He came up to the plate in the bottom of the second inning and, with two outs and two runners on, proceeded to crack a line-drive double into right field to score Mark Canha and double the Mets’ lead.

Nimmo also walked later in the game and finished 2-for-3 with two RBI. Having hit his first leadoff homer of the season, and his 25th double of the year, the outfielder was the driving force for the Mets as he has been for most of August now.

He now owns a .438 on-base percentage over the last seven games, while he’s slashing .278/.407/.412/.819 with seven doubles, two home runs and five RBI in August. You need your leadoff hitter to set the table for the offense on a nightly basis and that’s exactly what Nimmo has been doing.

Plus, the 29-year-old was also happy to come up big in the clutch at Citi Field. For whatever reason, Nimmo has been better on the road this season, hitting .306/.400/.490/.890 on the road compared to .215/.300/.332/.632 at home. For someone who is normally a very good hitter in his own backyard, Nimmo was surprised by his home-road splits this year.

“I didn’t realize that until like three or four days ago and I was like ‘holy crap, that is bad.’ I honestly have no clue because I’ve normally liked playing at home a lot,” Nimmo said. “I normally hit well at home so I don’t know why it is so bad this year because they’re like across the board bad. I have no clue what the reason is, kind of like why I do well against Colorado, but I try not to think too hard on it. I realize the past is the past and just try and move forward now. Maybe I can have a great September at home.”

Nimmo certainly didn’t make any mistakes at Citi Field on Saturday and he was also happy to play such a big role in what was just a special, special day for the franchise. Being around so many Mets greats made Nimmo realize just how lucky he is to be living out his big league dreams, and he reflected on that as well as sharing a funny moment he shared with Keith Hernandez.

“Keith was funny,” Nimmo said. “He was talking about his uniform and how it didn’t fit the same way it did before and he’s like ‘I think I might have an extra twenty pounds from my playing days.’ I was like ‘that’s alright, it will help you hit it over the fence’ and he’s like ‘well I won’t win my Gold Gloves over at first base.’ It was a little give and take but they were all funny. It was great.”

Overall, great to see Nimmo returning back to form, and being the true leadoff threat he has shown to be in the past.