Francisco Alvarez accepts responsibility for early celebration blunder that costs Mets: "That wasn’t ideal, that was on me"

As the ball rolled towards the center field wall, Francisco Alvarez saw an opportunity. It appeared that the young Venezuelan would record his first-ever MLB triple. Unfortunately for Alvarez, an inexperienced decision prevented him from reaching that milestone.

The 21-year-old made a costly error in the third inning of the New York Mets' 10-7 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Saturday. As Alvarez rounded second, it looked like he was going to be safe at third. His head-first dive was in time, but the play was overturned after a review. Alvarez lifted his hand from the bag early to celebrate. The third baseman applied the tag and he was called out.

Alvarez took full responsibility for the careless error:

"That wasn’t ideal, that was on me because I celebrated too early"

Alvarez, who was speaking through an interpreter, said that he will wait until the play is over next time to celebrate.

"What a play by Francisco Álvarez to get the tag and the out at home!" - SNY

The Mets trailed 5-0 at the time of the incident. Justin Verlander allowed five runs in the second inning to put the team in a tough spot. Leading off the inning, the Mets could have used a runner on third to ignite a comeback.

Aside from the costly error, Alvarez had a solid game. He went 2-for-4 on the night with three RBIs and a run. His three-run home run in the sixth inning tied the game. The Mets ended up taking their first lead in the seventh inning. Unfortunately for Buck Showalter and the Mets, the Colorado Rockies rallied late to win the game 10-7.

The Mets dropped to 27-26 on the season. They are now 4.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for first in the NL East.

Francisco Alvarez made his debut for the New York Mets during the final stages of the 2022 season

Francisco Alvarez is congratulated by teammates after his solo home run against the Cleveland Guardians at Citi Field

The highly-rated catcher was only recently been promoted to the big leagues. Francisco Alvarez was considered one of the organization's top prospects last season and made his MLB debut against the Braves on September 30, 2022.

"Francisco Alvarez and the @Mets erase a six-run deficit!" - MLB

He played in just five games last year but has been a key part of the lineup this season. He is slashing .273/.333/.545 with seven home runs and 16 RBIs in 32 games.

Francisco Alvarez has the potential to be one of the best catchers in the league. He will need to improve his defense and limit the errors. The early celebrations will also need to be eliminated from his game.