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ATLANTA – Julian Fernández was supposed to be on a 10 a.m. flight this morning back home to the Dominican Republic. Instead, he flew to Atlanta on Monday night to join the Nationals ahead of their second game against the Braves.
The right-handed reliever, who the Nats claimed off waivers from the Dodgers on Aug. 17, then found himself taking the mound at Truist Park in the bottom of the eighth inning, trying to keep it a 3-2 game against the heart of the Braves order and give his new team one more chance in the ninth.
Fernández proceeded to toss a perfect frame on a scant 13 pitches, striking out Ronald Acuña Jr. and Drake Baldwin with some high heat in the process.
It was a full-circle moment for the 28-year-old, who made his major league debut with the Rockies against the Braves in 2021, the first of only six appearances he would make that season before making just one this year with the Dodgers.
“I felt really good,” Fernández said, via interpreter Mauricio Ortiz. “I haven't pitched in a while, a couple of days. But I kept myself ready for this. Yesterday was really special because I made my debut against Atlanta back in '21. It's a great team and I was able to have a good performance.”
Fernández got ahead of Acuña 1-2, but couldn’t get the former National League MVP to chase a 100.7 mph fastball low and away. But he got him to miss a 97.9 mph heater down the middle on the next pitch.
He then fooled Baldwin with a steady offering of changeups instead of fastballs, the last one going 85.5 mph and rising above the zone.
“It felt really good,” Fernández said of his two strikeouts. “Acuña is one of the best hitters in the league. But I was attacking the strike zone. And then with the next batter, I attacked early. It felt really good to get the back-to-back strikeouts.”
And then after two fastballs that were near 100 mph, he got Ha-Seong Kim to ground out on a changeup over the heart of the plate.
“Oh, that was a good fastball and a good changeup,” interim manager Miguel Cairo said after the game last night. “He threw strikes. But that fastball is electric. That's 101, 99 (mph). It was nice to see that.”
“Really good. I know I have a really good fastball,” Fernández. “Like I said, attack the strike zone, that's what I need to do.”
Although he has to wait a little while longer to see his family back at home, Fernández says they were all really proud of him taking advantage of another opportunity in the major leagues.
“I talked to my mom yesterday, and she told me, 'Hey, if you were here, you would not have that opportunity. That good moment,'” he said. “I'm just really happy to be here.”
* Former Nationals outfielder Stone Garrett announced his retirement from baseball this morning on his Instagram account.
Garrett signed a major league contract with the Nats on Nov. 29, 2022 after he was non-tendered by the Diamondbacks.
He suffered a broken leg at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 23, 2023 and struggled to fully recover, both physically and mentally, from the gruesome injury. Garrett did return to the majors with the Nats on Sept. 27, 2024, and hit a two-run home run in his first at-bat. He also added a single, a double, a walk and three RBIs in a victory over the Phillies for one of the best feel-good stories in baseball.
But he struggled to fully return to his pre-injury form. The Nationals designated Garrett for assignment early in spring training this year and, after he cleared waivers, he accepted an assignment to Triple-A Rochester. In 15 games with the Red Wings, he went 4-for-46 (.087) with two RBIs and a stolen base. The Nationals then released him on April 29.
The 29-year-old tried to continue his playing career overseas, signing with the Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO League on June 5. In 22 appearances for the Heroes, he slashed .241/.280/.310 with two home runs and 15 RBIs. But his contract expired on July 20 and he was not retained.
Garrett finishes his major league career with a .276/.341/.492 slash line, .833 OPS, 26 doubles, 14 home runs and 53 RBIs in 118 games over parts of three seasons with Arizona and Washington. With the Nationals, he slashed .276/.350/.477 with an .827 OPS, 18 doubles, 10 homers and 43 RBIs in 91 games.
