Ty France was 0 for 4 with a trio of strikeouts when he stepped to the plate in the 10th inning on Wednesday afternoon. With one of the fastest runners in the league, Byron Buxton, on second, France was just looking to put the ball in play to let Buxton “do his thing.”

On the third pitch of the at-bat, France lined a pitch into right-center field. Buxton raced home and the celebration was on, teammates mobbing France around first base and dumping various liquids on his head in jubilation as the Twins walked off the Mets to win the series, 2-1.

“It didn’t start off great (Wednesday) but you never know when an opportunity like that could come, and you don’t want to miss out on that because you’re getting over the first four at-bats,” France said.

Yes, he made the most of his opportunity — just as he has all season.

Signed to a one-year deal free-agent deal just before spring training, the veteran first baseman has been among the Twins’ most productive hitters this year, making a quick good impression on his new team.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said early in camp that he expected France to play “a lot” this season. But given his non-guaranteed contract, France, 30, still showed up to spring training looking to win a job.

“(I’ve been) keeping that mindset, that mentality of ‘I need to prove every day that I belong here,’ ” he said. “I’ve kind of kept that thought process.”

And he’s proven it, ever since he showed up in Fort Myers, Fla. Spring training statistics aren’t considered great predictors of in-season performance, but France was on top of everything this spring, hitting .436. More important, he said he felt like his “old self.”

After a disappointing season in which France, hampered by a foot injury, was designated for assignment and hit .234/.305/.365 with the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds, the veteran spent the offseason working with former Twins infielder Denny Hocking.

His aim was to get back to the basics. Instead of worrying about his mechanics, he just wanted to go play freely. Now, he’s reaping the fruits of his labor.

“He swung the bat great in camp. He swung the bat great at the beginning of our regular season; he just had no luck,” Baldelli said. “He just was lining balls at infielders and outfielders and started out, he didn’t get any hits early on despite basically being on fire. Those same swings started to lead to production. He’s looked the part from the very beginning.”

An all-star in 2022, France was named the American League Player of the Week for last week after hitting .440 with two home runs, two doubles and six RBIs and six runs scored. On the season, he’s hitting .265 with a .721 OPS. His 107 OPS+ (100 is league average) is third on the Twins.

“He’s brought as much to the table as any player that we’ve had so far this year. I’d expect a heck of a lot more from Ty France,” Baldelli said. “The little ups and downs don’t get to Ty France, he just keeps on plugging.”

And while 19 games is a small sample size, France’s aim is to sustain this over the course of the full season.

“I busted my butt all offseason to get to this point,” France said. “Now, the job is just to keep it going. It’s one thing to do it for a week, but to carry it throughout the whole year is a different animal.”