Nuñez authors signature game with relentless speed

BALTIMORE -- Sometimes, a player has a game so unbelievably stacked that it becomes known as their game.

On Friday night, it was Nasim Nuñez’s turn.

In the Nationals’ chaotic 4-3 comeback win over the Orioles at Camden Yards, Nuñez did it all. He caught the first out, plated the game-winning run, stepped into center field for the first time in his career -- in the ninth inning of a one-run game at a road ballpark -- and caught the final out.

“He loves to play, man,” manager Dave Martinez said. “He’s got a lot of energy. I mean, he loves to play the game. He did well from the first pitch of the game, caught that line drive. He was fired up today.”

“It's about the hunger,” Nuñez said. “It's about the passion. Like, we fight in every single pitch, every single inning -- no matter who's on the mound, we're going to get them. So it was pretty huge.”

Nuñez’s big day all began with the first pitch out of starter MacKenzie Gore’s hand, which Gunnar Henderson lined to the right of Nuñez at second base -- at 100.9 mph. Nuñez made a diving catch to swipe the ball out of the air practically before the O’s faithful in attendance even had a chance to cheer.

In a twisted turn of fate, two innings later it was Nuñez who had a hit of his own robbed -- a potential extra-base hit to center field that Cedric Mullins caught over his shoulder at the wall.

Nuñez made up for that, though, and did it in thrilling fashion thanks to his incredible speed, which ranks in the top two percent of Major Leaguers, and some aggressive baserunning.

In the sixth, Nuñez worked a leadoff walk before stealing second and moving over to third on a passed ball. An RBI single from James Wood -- who later hit a game-tying homer in the eighth -- drove Nuñez home.

Nuñez was moved to center field, a position he took reps at in Spring Training but has never played in a Major League game, in the seventh inning after Washington brought in second baseman Luis García Jr. to pinch-hit. Nuñez felt right at home.

“It’s actually kind of comfy,” Nuñez said. “Like, honestly, it was pretty relaxing, Like the infield is so -- I'm in every single pitch, not that I wasn't in every pitch in outfield, but, like, it was a little bit different. I could squat a little bit, put my hands on my knees a little bit, and I can interact with the fans a little more. So that was pretty fun.”

Fun in the outfield aside, by the top of the ninth inning, it was Nuñez’s turn to make some magic at the plate.

With José Tena on second, Nuñez worked a 2-2 count against O’s All-Star closer Félix Bautista, fouling off both strikes. Then, he attacked.

Nuñez knocked a bouncing grounder to first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, who tossed to Bautista at first. But Nuñez beat the throw for a single and Tena -- rounding third -- made his break for home.

Bautista panicked, and overthrew home plate. Tena was safe, the RBI credited to Nuñez as Tena would have beaten the throw regardless. The overthrow was simply an indicator of the benefits generated by the Nationals wreaking havoc on the bases.

“[I was thinking] I just gotta get there before him, plain and simple,” Nuñez said. “We needed baserunners. We had life, to be honest, so just needed to do something -- anything -- and it worked out.”

Of course, there was still the bottom of the ninth and the final out to be secured. And that? That was all Nuñez.

“Oh man, honestly, I was thinking it was gonna happen,” Nuñez said, “but I was like, ‘Nah that’d be crazy.’ And then it happened and I was like, ‘Yeah, this is crazy.’ So it's pretty cool. I was just glad it came to me, because I was telling myself, like, ‘You gonna catch this ball [that’s] come to you and that's going to be game.”

In all likelihood, May 16, 2025, will go down in Nats history as “The Nasim Nuñez game,” and rightfully so. But for Nuñez? Sure, it was an incredible night individually, but more importantly, it was a reminder to the team of their identity.

“It's another win, you know, but it's pretty huge that we learned something out of this win,” Nuñez said. “I believe a lot of guys are starting to realize, like, you gotta play with us, right? We got to go out there, we got to understand we belong here. So let's go. I think that's the biggest part, and I hope that everybody picks up on that message for the team.”