Abrams collects game-tying RBI single in extras for first Nats hit originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
CJ Abrams had already gotten a taste of the big leagues with the San Diego Padres earlier this season, but the Nationals called him up Monday to give him his first chance to show his new ballclub what kind of potential he brings to the field.
The 21-year-old shortstop was a key piece of the trade that sent Juan Soto and Josh Bell to San Diego at the deadline. Although it’s going to be a long time before the Nationals learn whether the historic package they received will produce effective major leaguers, Abrams joined first baseman Luke Voit as the first two players to put their talents on display in DC
After going 0-4 with an error in his Nationals debut, he looked to be on his way to another hitless night in Tuesday’s game against the Chicago Cubs when his teammates rallied to force extra innings. That gave Abrams another at-bat in the bottom of the 10th, the game on the line with him in the batter’s box.
He worked a 1-1 count before sneaking a groundball through the shift on the right side that was just enough to score the tying run from second.
The Nationals went on to lose the ballgame 7-5 in the 11th, but that hit represented the first addition to Abrams’s highlight reel in DC
“I’m glad he got his first hit, and a big one at that, and now he can kind of loosen up a little bit,” Nationals manager Davey Martinez said in his postgame press conference, as aired on MASN. “But the kid is not afraid. The kid goes out there, he competes and he had some good swings today. So I told him, ‘It’s just a matter of time before the balls start dropping in there for you.'”
Amid a season in which Washington carries the worst record in baseball at 39-79 and has a few years to go before it’s competitive again, big moments from young players like Abrams are the victories the club is looking for.