WASHINGTON, DC-The last time the Nats (71-91) finished with a winning season was four years ago. With a win over Philadelphia (95-67) last Saturday, they matched their win total from last year. Not only did they take the series from Philly with the victory, Washington also ruined Philly’s chance for home field advantage in the playoffs. Refusing to go quietly, the Nats entered the season finale Sunday looking to sweep.
Game 162 began under cloudy skies at Nats Park. Jake Irvin threw the first pitch on time at 3:05 p.m. Having already wrapped up the division, Bryce Harper was one Philly star out of the lineup. But that didn’t mean the lineup would be any easier for Irvin to navigate. The first two hitters were Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner. Before the Nats could get any out, the bases were loaded. Bryson Stott grounded out, but earned an RBI, and Alec Bohm followed with a groundout but collected his 97th RBI of the year.
Down early, 2-0, the Nats’ Luis Garcia led off, hitting a 409-foot home run toward the scoreboard and cutting the deficit in half.
In the second inning, Irvin rebounded, striking out two of three. In the bottom of the inning, Dylan Crews singled to center, raising his batting average to .205 in 30 games played this season. (It would go to .218 by day’s end.) Looking to get into scoring position, he stole second base. He moved to third when Drew Milas hit an infield single. With runners on first and third, Jacob Young took a strike, only to watch Crews caught stealing home.
After giving up the two runs, Irvin retired 12 straight, in command of his pitches and trusting the defense behind him. He only threw five pitches in the third inning, likely his best inning of the year. The Nats went 3-for-9 against Aaron Nola his first time through the lineup, but his time on the mound was moving just as quickly as his counterpart’s. The game seemed to transition into somewhat of a pitcher’s duel. In just four innings, Nola racked up five strikeouts.
Irvin’s consecutive outs streak ended when he allowed a walk to Cody Clemens in the fourth. The Phillies had the bases loaded with Kyle Schwarber up, who hit a ball to left, scoring two and giving the visitors a 4-2 lead. The lead expanded to 6-1 when Weston Wilson hit a double, scoring Schwarber and Stubbs. With the score getting out of hand, Dave Martinez had no choice but to go to his bullpen. Lefty Joe La Sorsa entered, getting the last two outs needed on three pitches.
In the bottom of the fifth, Jacob Young, the rookie standout, singled to left. Then Nasim Nuñez reached on a bunt single. When Luis Garcia singled to right and Young scored, a rally began. Could the Nats muster a comeback win on the season’s last day? Juan Yepez fought to get a curveball up, sending it to left. Nuñez scored as the stadium erupted in cheers. The Nats pulled one run closer at 6-3.
Crews earned his first major league triple in the bottom of the sixth. This knocked Nola out of the game, short of 200 innings on the season, and set up another scoring opportunity for the Nats. Crews went 3-for-3 against Nola, a special day for him. Lefty Jose Alvarado entered the game, stranding Crews at third.
In the seventh, Jackson Rutledge, a potential starter next season, entered to strike out Schwarber. Rutledge was selected by the Nats in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft. The crowd was glued to the scoreboard when Trea Turner attempted to steal second. He was caught by Drew Milas and tagged by Garcia. Replay confirmed the out call. Turner then exited the game to get off his feet and gear up for the Phillies’ first playoff game this coming Saturday.
In the ninth, the Nats tried to rally once more with two runners aboard and no outs. Darren Baker singled to left, moving Young and Milas up. With one out left in the Nats’ season, Yepez hit a long flyball to left, caught by Clemens at the wall. Only a few feet short of a win, the Nats headed into a very long winter.
“We made it interesting,” Martinez said after the game. “It’s a testimony to the guys this year, they fought hard all year long. I’m proud of them. Our young guyes got better. We’re going to continue to get better. [There will] be good things to come.”
View box score HERE.
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