Weather: 88 degrees, Partly Cloudy.
Wind: 5 mph, Out To LF.
Umpires: HP--Wolcott, 1B--Ripperger, 2B--Hoye, 3B--Danley.
Time: 5:40
Attendance: 36,953
Section 419, Row N, Seats 27-29
OK, we knew it was going to be a long day. We arrived at the park just
after 1:30 for the Nationals’ annual Season Plan Holder Appreciation Day. After
exiting the park around 4:15, we decided to join the line to get back in for
the game, so we could pick up our Patrick Corbin bobbleheads and enjoy a leisurely
pre-game meal at the Budweiser Brew House. We certainly did not expect the game
to still be going on well after midnight, ending as we neared the end of our
trek home on Metro’s Red Line. (We left at the end of the 11th
inning.)
Inning 3 – Brewers plate 5, after Anibal Sanchez walks the pitcher and
then the rookie leadoff batter, followed by 5 straight hits. But a 2-run Juan
Soto homer keeps the home team in it.
Inning 4 – 3-run HR by Eaton with 2 outs. Nats tie things up at 5.
Inning 5 – Matt Grace replaces Sanchez and promptly serves up a tater
to Ryan Braun. Brewers back up by 1.
Inning 6 – Grace faces 3 batters and retires none of them, giving up a
2-run homer to Trent Grisham before giving way to Wander Suero. Freddy Peralta
comes in to pitch the bottom of the inning, and 4 batters later the Nats have a
9-8 lead, punctuated by a Trea Turner 3-run shot.
Inning 7 – Strickland blanks the Brewers, Kendrick hits one out after a
Robles walk to extend our lead to 11-8.
Innings 8-9 – Against all odds, no one reaches base for either side in
the 8th, with Rodney holding the visitors in check. Doolittle comes
in for the save in the 9th. 10 pitches later
(homer-double-homer-homer), it’s 12-11 Milwaukee. But our heroes aren’t done
yet, despite the entry of imposing Brewers relief ace Josh Hader. After a Gomes
walk, a Suzuki double, and a Robles single, the Nats have tied the game, with
the winning run on third and no outs. Somehow, following the intentional walk
to Kendrick to load the bases, Hader recovers to fan Turner, Eaton, and Rendon
to provide some bonus baseball.
Innings 10-12 – The hitters on both teams seem worn out, and no one
comes close to ending the game. With the Nats out of position players and short
on pitchers, Tanner Rainey hits for himself in the bottom of the 10th
so he can take the mound for the 11th. Long man Javy Guerra replaces
him an inning later and fans the side in the 12th.
Inning 13 – Yelich hits his second homer of the game (and #41 for the
year) to give the Brewers a 13-12 lead. Asdrubal Cabrera (more on him later)
coaxes a leadoff walk in the bottom of the frame, but Javy Guerra (forced to
hit for himself) fails to bunt him to second. After a Suzuki single gets
Cabrera to third, Junior Guerra (no relation) comes in to pitch for Milwaukee and
gives up a sac fly to Robles. Game tied. Again.
Inning 14 – Javy G, clearly gassed, walks Braun and gives up a 2-run
homer to Eric Thames for a 15-13 Milwaukee lead. The Nats have one last chance,
as Keston Hiura throws away Juan Soto’s potentially-game-ending ground ball,
scoring Eaton from second and putting the tying run in scoring position.
However, Junior G intentionally walks Cabrera to reach the pitcher’s spot in
the order. Martinez sends starting pitcher Joe Ross up to hit for Javy G, and
he fans to bring the affair to its final conclusion.
Note #1 – Had the game continued, the Nats would have sent out a lineup
with Kendrick moving to second, Soto playing first, Ross in left, and Cabrera
on the mound. It would have been his first major league pitching appearance,
after over 1500 career games peacefully plying his trade in the infield.
Note #2 – The Nats tied a major-league record by allowing 5 homers in
the 9th inning or later.
Note #3 – According to Jamal Collier’s MLB.com story, “The rock band
The Raconteurs began the game sitting in the stands, played at a nearby concert
hall [The Anthem] and made it back in time to see the conclusion of the game.”
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