Francisco Álvarez  finally broke out of his slump on Tuesday against the Nationals.

The Mets’ young catcher started his night strong, crushing a three-run home run against Patrick Corbin in the first inning. The home run was majestic, traveling 419 feet with an exit velocity of 108.9 miles per hour. It was the first of five home runs hit against the Nats and it gave the Mets a 4-0 lead.

Francisco Álvarez. Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

“It felt good,” Álvarez said about his home run after the game. “When I hit it, I just looked down, and said ‘thank god, thank god.’ I said it 20,000 times.”

Álavrez added another extra-base hit in the top of the eighth. He doubled off Amos Willingham to the opposite field and came around to score on Ronny Mauricio‘s first major league RBI.

Overall, Álavrez finished the night going 2-for-3 with three RBI and runs scored. It was the first time Álavrez had scored three runs in a game in his career.

Álvarez also reached another first in his career on Tuesday. After he walked in the third inning, he stole second base and got into scoring position for Brett Baty, who later brought him and Mark Vientos in to score.

“(Buck Showalter) told me in the first or second, ‘Go!’ Then I’m like, ‘It’s too hard.’ But then I said, ‘Ok, I’ll go,’ once I saw his leg was going really high.”

Coming into Tuesday’s game, Álvarez was stuck in a horrendous funk. He was slashing .125/.250/.139 in the last 24 games and hadn’t hit a home run since August 1. In fact, August was the worst month of Álvarez’s career, as he slashed .139/.262/.194 and only hit one home run.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Álvarez’s home run is a sign of a big September. The rookie catcher has gone hot and cold with every changing month, recording an OPS below .600 in March, June, and August, and an OPS above .900 in May and July.

A big September would be historical for Álvarez. The Venezuelan native has 22 home runs this season and trails Johnny Bench‘s total of 26 for the most home runs hit by a 21-year-old catcher. Álvarez would need four more to tie the record and five more to break, which isn’t unfathomable for the promising prospect.

Regardless of Bench’s record, September is an important month for Álvarez and the Mets. It’s important that he finishes the season strong and prepares for 2024. Álvarez will also benefit from playing with the other baby Mets, who all had big games on Tuesday after being in the lineup together for the first time in 2023.