NEW YORK -- As Albert Almora Jr. sprinted back to Citi Field's warning track, eyes trained on the baseball, only one thought flitted through his mind.

“It was going to be really difficult for me to not catch that ball if the ball stayed in the ballpark,” Almora said. “I was going to leave it all out there.”

When the ball did fall just shy of the center-field fence, Almora made good on his vow, leaping to grab it as he crashed into the wall. His catch robbed Kyle Schwarber of an extra-base hit and likely two RBIs in the sixth inning on Sunday, allowing Taijuan Walker to remain spotless in a 4-0 win over the Nationals.

“Oh, that was such a sexy catch,” teammate Pete Alonso said. “I got so fired up. I hope that’s on ESPN tonight.”

In signing Almora this winter, the Mets envisioned him serving as a defensive replacement late in games, and sometimes starting against left-handed pitchers. But the club’s subsequent acquisition of Kevin Pillar marginalized Almora to the point that he risked not even making the team out of Spring Training. Although a strong camp did land Almora on the roster, he slotted below Pillar on the depth chart, which prevented him from starting any of the Mets’ first 16 games.

Finally given an opportunity on Sunday, Almora made the defining play of a superlative defensive day for the Mets. Shading Schwarber to the opposite field, Almora covered 95 feet in 5.7 seconds, according to Statcast data, to arrive at the warning track at the same time as the baseball. As Almora tumbled to the dirt, Walker raised his gloved hand to the sky in appreciation. An announced crowd of 7,784 likewise applauded while Almora popped to his feet, grinning beneath his reflective sunglasses.

Watching this all unfold from the basepaths, Schwarber simply removed his helmet and shook his head with a wry grin on his face. Few people are more aware of Almora’s defensive prowess than Schwarber, who played alongside him from 2016-20 in Chicago. During that time, Schwarber witnessed plenty of similar catches, including Almora’s most famous one to rob San Francisco’s Buster Posey of a potential walkoff hit in Game 3 of the 2016 National League Division Series.

“He’s a really good outfielder, and we’re really good buddies, too,” Schwarber said. “I just couldn’t help but laugh there.”

Such close friends are Almora and Schwarber that they’ve regularly kept in touch since leaving Chicago. Following Saturday’s game between the Mets and Nationals, they played videogames together, taking advantage of their aligned schedules.

“He’s probably going to text me now when I go back to my phone,” Almora said shortly after the game. “I love Schwarber. He’s a brother to me. It happens.”

Certainly, Schwarber can’t blame his friend for taking advantage of a rare chance to contribute. Although Almora won’t become a regular starter for the Mets anytime soon, his play could convince manager Luis Rojas at least to give him more opportunities as a defensive substitute late in games. It’s something Rojas has done frequently in the past to strengthen his outfield, but relatively rarely so far in 2021.

“That’s a talented center fielder right there,” Rojas said. “That’s a guy that plays center field at an above-average rate. So it was an unbelievable play. It got everybody hyped up not only in the dugout, but in the building. Everyone got up and was giving him a standing O for that one.”