An amazing night at Nats' Park last night. Hard to believe something so fun could be but a stone throws away from such a horrible event. See my previous post for some thoughts on that.
It was an amazing night. The weather was fantastic the moon almost full. The Nats were playing the Braves for the second time that day. They won the first game in one of the strangest ways possible by scoring three runs in the bottom of the 9th. This from the Post:
But then things got weird and unpredictable and sportsy, and Tuesday afternoon instead became one of the memorable happy moments, even if the Nats eventually fall short of the playoffs. When you score three runs in the 9th inning off one of the game’s least hittable closers, helped by walks and infield hits and failed bunts and ground-outs and errors, and then everyone jumps around in circles, fans are allowed to be happy, even within the larger context of likely disappointment.
The second game which I went to was just as improbable. The Braves held to 5 hits and no runs by of all people Tanner Roark who is now 7-0 with an ERA to 1.08. That's right 1.08. In a game that took just under 2 1/2 hours, Roark pitched seven innings and just dominated the Braves. It was a joy to watch.
From the Post:
Tanner Roark walked into the Nationals’ dugout Tuesday night after the seventh inning. Manager Davey Johnson shook his hand and told him his night had ended. Roark had allowed two hits and one walk over seven scoreless innings. His pitch count sat at 101, 23 more than he had thrown in any big league appearance. He looked at Johnson and asked, “You sure I’m through?”
“Yeah, you’re through,” Johnson said, laughing as he turned and walked away.
Roark had reached his limit, but who could blame him for wanting to keep pitching? Since his promotion Aug. 7, Roark has turned from call-up to sensation. In the Nationals’ 4-0 victory, Roark pitched all night with a 1-0 lead and the Braves never threatened. He improved his record to 7-0 and lowered his ERA to 1.08 after 41 2/3 major league innings.
“It’s not smoke and mirrors right now,” first baseman Adam LaRoche said. “You get guys coming down to first and talking about how good his stuff is, some really good hitters that are praising him. It says a lot. There’s not a lot of comfortable at-bats against him. It’s quick strikes and, again, he’s locating down so he’s getting a lot of chases down.”
It was a great night and a great win especially the way the Braves have come into DC and just dominated the Nats. Now if the Nats can just win tonight and sweep the Braves that would be really sweet.
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| The Nats celebrating their victory. |
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| Screech waving the Nationals' flag in victory. |
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