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PHOENIX – It began innocently enough, with CJ Abrams getting hit by a wayward 0-2 pitch from Brandon Pfaadt, with James Wood singling to right and with Nathaniel Lowe doubling to left to give the Nationals a quick lead over the Diamondbacks.
And then it kept going. And going. And going. And going some more until the only thing the demoralized Chase Field crowd of 29,434 could do was give the loudest, most sarcastic standing ovation in history to the Arizona pitcher (Scott McGough, in relief of Pfaadt) who finally recorded the first out of tonight’s ballgame.
That out, by the way, was made by Lowe, who was making his second plate appearance of the top of the first, the Nationals’ 12th plate appearance of the game. They already led 9-0 at that point, en route to a 10-run top of the first and an 11-run lead by the top of the second.
And though the D-backs made a spirited attempt to pull off what would’ve been one of the most remarkable comebacks in major league history, the Nats ultimately did win 11-7 thanks to the greatest first inning in team history.
"I've been a part of some crooked numbers, but that was a good one," Lowe said. "It was nice to jump on a pretty solid major league starter and put up a first inning like that. You don't see it often, but we capitalized off it. And obviously, we like a win."
Over the course of 30 jaw-dropping minutes on a Saturday night in the desert, the Nationals did the following:
* Scored a club record 10 runs in the first inning.
* Sent a club record 16 batters to the plate in the first inning.
* Became the second major league team since 1961 to see its first 11 batters safely reach base, joining the Red Sox from June 27, 2003.
* Made Pfaadt the eighth starting pitcher in major league history to give up eight runs without recording an out.
* Scored at least nine runs in four straight games for the first time in club history, reaching that total tonight before making an out.
"We put together some good at-bats, everybody did," manager Davey Martinez said. "We spread the ball around the field. Everybody's working good at-bats, and we ended up scoring a bunch of runs, which we definitely needed tonight."
Oh, they also won their fourth straight game to clinch a winning road trip to Seattle and Arizona, giving them 10 wins in their last 13 games and completing May with a 15-12 record to make this only their second winning month since the front office began its roster teardown in July 2021.
"We should get used to it," said Lowe, a regular in the Rangers' 2023 World Series lineup. "You play this game to win. So ideally you show up every day with a chance to compete and win. Losing is not why we play at all. So I would encourage this group to get used to winning, because that's what we strive to do every day."
It was simultaneously inspiring and ludicrous, the kind of singular offensive inning usually reserved for a Little League game or a mid-February college ballgame between an SEC powerhouse and a Division-III program that can’t offer scholarships.
And yet it was real, and oh so spectacular for a Nationals lineup that has suddenly turned into a juggernaut.
"We're swinging at better pitches," Martinez said. "We're getting the ball up. And we are really focused on using the whole field, staying in the middle of the field. When we can do that, you can see we hit the ball pretty good."
The previous three nights’ offensive explosions had been built on a bunch of towering home runs. This one, believe it or not, was made up entirely of singles and doubles. (And also three hit-by-pitches, two of them suffered by Abrams, who joined the Orioles’ Brady Anderson as the only major leaguers since 1969 to be hit by pitches twice in the first inning. Abrams would get hit by yet another pitch in the sixth inning.)
The 10 runs scored via a boatload of doubles (Lowe, Luis García Jr., Keibert Ruiz, José Tena, Daylen Lile), a single by Wood and a fielder’s choice by García. Lile came closest to hitting it out, his drive off McGough traveling 423 feet but clanging high off the massive center field wall for a mere two-bagger.
Lile was the only member of the lineup who didn’t get a chance to face Pfaadt (his fellow Louisville Trinity High School alum). Wood would record two hits in the inning. Ruiz would come up to bat with the bases loaded twice in the same inning, finally making the final out of a 60-pitch opening stanza that ate up 30 minutes of actual gametime.
"I mean, that was crazy," Lile said. "A lot of smiles, a lot of laughter. Electric. Just to be a part of that was amazing."
How did Michael Soroka respond to the 10-0 lead his teammates handed him before ever taking the mound? He retired the side on 12 pitches in the bottom of the first, sending those teammates right back to the plate in search of more offense.
"It's probably the first time I've ever done that," the right-hander said of the 10-run cushion he had to work with. "I think mentally you're just trying to stay locked in. A big number early, and you get a chance to pitch freely. But at the same time, you can't let them back in it, right?"
Soroka did proceed on cruise control, retiring the first 11 batters he faced with ease before Geraldo Perdomo sent a soft liner just behind Garcia’s leaping attempt at second base for Arizona’s first hit of the game. Josh Naylor followed moments later with a two-run homer to right.
Soroka then began showing signs of fatigue on a warm Phoenix night. He got out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth, but was pulled after putting two runners on base in the sixth. Jackson Rutledge entered and allowed both inherited runners to score, plus three more of his own making thanks to Pavin Smith’s triple, Gabriel Moreno’s infield single and Randal Grichuck’s two-run homer.
Just like that, an 11-0 lead in the second became an 11-7 lead in the sixth, and a night that should’ve been a cakewalk for the visitors became a bit more stressful.
"Obviously, it's great to come out with a win, but I'm tired of telling you guys I felt like I threw the ball pretty well but still gave up four," said Soroka, whose ERA is 5.81 despite a good amount of success in early innings. "One day, we'll have to switch that around and put up a bunch more zeros."
Extra stress or not, a remade Nats bullpen that cut ties with veteran Jorge López this afternoon turned to its young arms to finish this one off. Jose A. Ferrer posted a zero in the seventh on eight pitches. Cole Henry posted a zero in the eighth on 21 pitches (thanks in part to Wood’s perfect throw to the plate for the second out). And with Kyle Finnegan unavailable after pitching the previous two nights, Henry returned for the ninth to finish off one of the wildest wins in Nationals history.
"Those games are weird," Martinez said. "We've just got to keep playing. As you can see, it ended up being 11-7. But the guys were having fun. It was good for them."
