SAN FRANCISCO -- The Mets have desperately needed a spark. They finally found one.

On a hazy Wednesday afternoon, when the typically blue San Francisco skies were a whitish-gray due to wildfires up north, Kevin Pillar blasted a go-ahead three-run home run in the top of the 12th inning to lead the Mets to a 6-2 win over the Giants at Oracle Park. It was just one win, but given how the month has unfolded, it felt like so much more.

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“I think we’ve got a little bit of momentum,” Pillar said. “I think we got the monkey off our back a little bit.”

It’s impossible to overstate the importance of this win. New York snapped a five-game losing streak, avoided being swept in back-to-back series and is back at the .500 mark (60-60). More than that, the Mets, if for but one afternoon, flashed an ability to come up with big hits in big spots.

To even get to extra innings required some timely hitting on New York’s part. After trailing 1-0 for almost the entire game, the blue and orange rallied in the ninth when it mattered most.

Pete Alonso led off the inning by getting plunked, falling in pain before making his way to first. The Mets' main slugger then went from first to third on a single by Michael Conforto. When J.D. Davis flew out to medium-deep right field, Alonso scored the tying run. Edwin Díaz pitched a perfect ninth inning, and the game headed to extras.

The Mets didn’t score in the 10th, but neither did the Giants. New York did score in the 11th, but so did San Francisco as Michael Conforto and Tommy La Stella traded RBI hits. To the 12th they went, where Pillar, who returned to Oracle Park for the first time with fans in attendance, delivered the big blow.

After Pillar’s homer, Chance Sisco, who was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse just prior to Wednesday’s game, smacked the first pitch he saw as a Met for an RBI double, sending dozens of fans heading for the exits.

The win came only hours after owner Steve Cohen called out New York’s offense, tweeting, “It’s hard to understand how professional hitters can be this unproductive. The best teams have a more disciplined approach. The slugging and OPS numbers don’t lie.” Manager Luis Rojas didn’t attribute the late-game awakening directly to Cohen’s comments, but he said the team understood the message.

“We’re working to get things right,” Rojas said. “We started swinging the bats better in the ninth inning. That’s when we showed up offensively, and then we kept it going in extra innings. We understand the message. We have to get our offense right. That was a good sign today.”

While the offense’s performance from the ninth inning on was notable given the team’s recent struggles, Rojas attributed the win to the team’s pitching staff, which was nails.

New York’s fantastic collective performance on the mound began with rookie Tylor Megill, who allowed just one run across six innings with six strikeouts. Given the quality of the opponent and the circumstances, Megill’s afternoon was arguably his finest of the season.

The bullpen was equally crisp following Megill's departure, the only blip on their collective line being the unearned run that Jeurys Familia allowed in the 11th inning due to the automatic runner starting on second base.

Díaz, Familia, Miguel Castro, Trevor May and Jake Reed combined to allow no earned runs across six innings, striking out eight and walking just one.

“I want to attribute the win to our pitchers,” Rojas said. “They gave us a chance and kept us in the game, from Tylor Megill to Jake Reed, who made the last out. They gave us a chance today.”

While Pillar said the team would’ve much rather enjoyed a blowout as opposed to the nail-bitter, it was a sweet victory nonetheless. The win will certainly make for a much happier plane ride, as the Mets travel to Los Angeles for the back half of their 13-game gauntlet against the Dodgers and Giants.

With the Padres and Reds having lost on Wednesday as well -- the Phillies played the D-backs later -- the Mets made up a sliver of ground in the National League Wild Card hunt. Tough games still lie ahead against the toast of the NL West. But for one afternoon, the Mets got the hits when they mattered most. And for a team looking for any morsels of positive morale, that could go a long way.