Nationals Park is not any stranger to anticipated debuts. In 2010, Stephen Strasburg arrived from the minors on a Tuesday night time in June and struck out 14 Pittsburgh Pirates. In 2018, Juan Soto, all of 19 on the time, arrived for a Sunday matinee in opposition to the Los Angeles Dodgers and struck out on 4 pitches.
Bryce Harper? That 2012 debut occurred in Los Angeles.
However Monday night time, these within the ballpark had a really feel for the second. And in a 9-7 loss in 10 innings to the New York Mets, Wooden did, too.
As a result of in Wooden’s first at-bat, he labored the rely full. And on the seventh pitch he noticed, a sinking fastball round 93 mph, the lefty lashed a base hit into left discipline, a ball that left the bat at 106.7 mph. He reached first and sported a kidlike grin as his teammates celebrated.
“I’ve heard it, however I’ve by no means been within the heart of it,” Wooden mentioned in regards to the cheers. “So it was distinctive, for certain.”
Even because the Nationals’ new era had arrived, previous baseball rituals had been adopted. Moments after the hit, the Nationals’ dugout referred to as for the baseball. If Wooden, from close by Olney, performs anyplace near what some anticipate, his profession will embody a couple of baseball to notice his accomplishments.
However debuts don’t at all times have excellent endings, which Wooden realized Monday. After the Nationals tied the rating within the eighth inning, J.D. Martinez hit a go-ahead three-run homer within the tenth off Hunter Harvey as a part of a six-run outburst.
“The child did nicely,” Supervisor Dave Martinez mentioned. “That’s what we talked about. He took his walks; he received a base hit his first at-bat. And he hustled. … It’s unlucky that we tied the sport however couldn’t end it there.”
The Nationals answered within the backside of the tenth, scoring 4 occasions — fueled, partly, by a stroll from Wooden — however the rally ended with Reed Garrett putting out Luis García Jr. with two on. The sport ended with a loss at the same time as the massive image of the Nationals’ future got here a bit extra into focus.
Again in 2022, because the Nationals trudged towards their third straight dropping season, they traded away Soto, their famous person outfielder who helped them win a World Collection in 2019. The transfer was painful for a fan base accustomed to successful, however Common Supervisor Mike Rizzo emphasised that the haul of gamers in return would speed up the Nationals’ rebuild.
So Wooden arrived with the Nationals in 2022 as a part of a hazy dream not but realized. To that time, Wooden had solely 81 minor league video games to his identify. He hadn’t performed above Class A. And but he was one in all a handful of gamers tasked with the burden of getting to stay as much as being the return for Soto.
Slowly, these gamers have made their strategy to D.C. First was CJ Abrams, a shy, skinny shortstop who debuted that August and now, at 23, has blossomed into the crew’s most dynamic offensive participant. Then got here MacKenzie Gore, Monday night time’s starter, who continues to appear like a possible ace. That left Wooden, outfielder Robert Hassell III and pitcher Jarlin Susana within the minors.
That Wooden can be subsequent appeared a foregone conclusion after a formidable spring coaching and a fully dominant first few months this season in Class AAA.
“He has all of it,” Abrams mentioned. “Can monitor down balls, can hit the ball out, can steal bases, rating runs. We’ll love seeing him up right here.”
It wasn’t a stretch to say Wooden’s first recreation was essentially the most anticipated debut by a Nationwide since Harper made his first profession begin at Dodger Stadium again in 2012.
His first swing of batting observe — a missile that hit the purple seats in deep heart — solely added extra gas to that perception. But when that wasn’t sufficient, his highlights had been proven on the massive display for practically an hour earlier than recreation time. Wooden’s first standing ovation of the night time got here when he was introduced within the batting order, hitting sixth.
The Nationals grabbed a 2-0 lead because of RBI singles from Harold Ramírez and Joey Meneses. After which Gore cruised by means of 5⅔ innings earlier than Martinez pulled him with two outs in favor of Derek Legislation, who surrendered an RBI single to Mark Vientos. Abrams then misplayed a routine grounder that might have ended the inning. Francisco Alvarez adopted with a two-run double to offer the Mets a 3-2 lead. However Meneses hit an RBI double within the eighth to tie the rating.
As for Wooden, he struck out on three pitches within the fourth and grounded out on the primary pitch of the seventh. And he got here as much as the plate within the ninth with the sport tied, a second constructed for a fairy-tale ending. The gang rose once more.
Wooden took the primary pitch, then hit a chopper again to Mets nearer Jake Diekman. He galloped down the road, his huge strides inflicting Diekman to rush his throw, the ball getting previous Pete Alonso. Wooden superior to second and finally reached third with two outs. Jacob Younger — one other rookie, one other potential a part of this rebuild — had the possibility to safe an ideal ending. However his line drive to proper discipline carried as an alternative of dived and landed within the glove of the Mets’ Tyrone Taylor.
Even when Wooden walked in his closing at-bat within the tenth to deliver Keibert Ruiz — the tying run — to the plate, there was nonetheless a noticeable roar from the gang. Ruiz hit an RBI single, and the anticipation grew earlier than García struck out to finish it. And although the applause for Wooden in his closing at-bat wasn’t practically as loud as in his first, it was proof that — so long as Wooden is round — the hype gained’t be going away anytime quickly.
