No one can say Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman lacks a flair for the dramatic. His team had just squandered a one-run lead in the top of the ninth inning on Sunday night, threatening to spoil the much-anticipated opening game at brand-new Nationals Park.
Instead, Zimmerman, batting with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, smoked a line-drive rocket over the left-centerfield fence to pull off a dramatic 3-2 victory.
It was the perfect way to open the new stadium, where a sell-out crowd of 39,389 demanded a curtain call as Zimmerman and his teammates joyously skipped off the field.
The last time the Nats won on a walk-off home run also came courtesy of Zimmerman, a grand-slam against the Florida Marlins last May 12.
“You can’t write the script better than that to win the game,” said Zimmerman, who afterwards had already traded a signed jersey for the ball. “The way it ended was perfect.”
After run-scoring doubles by Nick Johnson and Austin Kearns in the first inning, Washington held the lead throughout the night. But a passed ball against catcher Paul Duca allowed pinch-runner Martin Prado to score from third as the Braves tied the game at 2 with two out in the top the ninth.
The victory came with some injury concerns for the Nats. Left field Elijah Dukes left the game in the sixth inning with the hamstring tightness that also bothered him in spring training. More ominously, closer Chad Cordero did not pitch in the ninth because of what team officials called “right shoulder tendonitis.”
Instead, set-up man Jon Rauch got the call. He allowed a double to Braves first baseman Mark Teixeira, but was one out away from finishing when a pitch skipped off the glove of Lo Duca. It looked like extra innings after the Braves retired the first two Nats batters in the ninth. But Zimmerman has been here before. He now has seven walk-off hits and a game-winning walkentering his third full season in the big leagues. Sunday’s was his fourth walk-off home run.
“The first fastball was low and I guessed he would come back with another one,” said Zimmerman. “I guessed right.”
