With a big blast and a big K, Nats celebrate another road win
CJ Abrams' eighth-inning homer and Gus Varland's ninth-inning escape gave the Nationals reason to show emotion today in New York
NEW YORK – The two reactions – one by CJ Abrams in the top of the eighth, one by Gus Varland in the bottom of the ninth – said it all. Want to condense the Nationals’ 5-4 victory over the Mets down to two moments, those are the two. And the two players’ respective reactions to those moments said everything you needed to know.
Abrams’ two-run homer in the eighth gave the Nats the lead for good, with the All-Star-caliber shortstop standing at the plate and pointing to his dugout. Varland’s final strikeout in the ninth, stranding the tying runner in scoring position, prompted the right-hander to let out a primal scream and then give a double-armed flex like a WWE superstar playing up the crowd.
Both celebrations were lapped up by the rest of the Nationals, who thoroughly enjoyed winning yet another road series, this one against a foundering division rival that now owns the worst record in baseball.
“They haven’t been easy places to play,” manager Blake Butera said of his team, which has now won two series in Chicago, one in Milwaukee and one in New York, while also playing respectable baseball in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. “And coming off some tough series, some tough games, some tough losses right at the very end sometimes, to be able to turn around and turn the page and flush it and come back out hungry and ready to win, these guys have done it all along so far. It makes our job that much more fun, knowing these guys want to win that badly.”
What began as a sleepy matinee for seven innings today turned dramatic toward the end. The Nats trailed 4-3 heading to the eighth, having seen Miles Mikolas give up a three-run homer to MJ Melendez and Mitchell Parker give up an RBI double to Mark Vientos to erase an early 3-0 lead. But it felt all along like this game would be decided late, and sure enough it was.
