Hassell collects two hits, scores walk-off run in MLB debut to remember

WASHINGTON -- Robert Hassell III has plenty of Major League debut memories to cherish.

The Nationals’ No. 11 prospect scored the winning run off an Amed Rosario walk-off single in their 8-7 victory in 10 innings over the Braves on Thursday night at Nationals Park.

Hassell went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and a strikeout, becoming the first player in team history (2005-present) to tally a multihit game and a stolen base in his big league debut.

“It felt great,” Hassell said. “Truly, the most important thing is that we got the dub. It feels amazing to win.”

When you have waited all your life for your Major League debut, a first-pitch fastball low in the zone looks pretty appealing. In his inaugural at-bat, Hassell swung at a 98.3 mph four-seamer from Braves right-handed starter AJ Smith-Shawver and lined it into right field.

Hassell had been working 23 years toward this moment, and in less than five seconds, he was on base. First-base coach Gerardo Parra congratulated him with a hug.

“I figured just try to play chess a little bit,” Hassell said. “They’re doing reports and stuff, they know it’s my first game, so I figured they were going to come right at me. That was the game plan -- be ready to swing.”

Once at first, Hassell took a beat -- for one pitch. On the second pitch of the next at-bat, he stole his first Major League base. Hassell reached second base at a sprint speed of 29.1 feet per second; 30 feet per second is categorized as elite.

“That’s kind of pregame stuff, too, just knowing him,” Hassell said of Smith-Shawver. “He had kind of a shorter leg kick and then a bigger one. I saw the bigger one and took off.”

A hit, a stolen base -- what’s next?

Hassell scored his first Major League run the same inning when CJ Abrams lined a bases-loaded single into center field.

“He kept himself very composed,” said manager Dave Martinez. “... Today, he looked like a kid that really belonged here. It was awesome to see him go out there and compete.”

Hassell later collected his second hit of the night in the seventh inning when he grounded a single into left field off a 1-2 count curveball from right-hander Pierce Johnson.

“I love the fact that two strikes, he worked an at-bat, hit the ball the other way as well,” Martinez said. “If he could continue to use the whole field, he’s going to be OK.”

Hassell got his first taste of a high-stakes big league moment with two outs in the bottom of the ninth in a tied game. He flied out to center field, where the defensively savvy Michael Harris II ran in to make the catch.

But Hassell quickly had another opportunity to make an impact the next inning when he was the automatic runner at second base in the 10th. After Alex Call advanced him to third base on a sacrifice bunt, Rosario drove him in with a single into left field.

“I kind of blacked out,” Hassell said. “I didn’t know if I should throw my helmet or do whatever. But as soon as I touched home plate, I knew we won and I was hype, for sure.”

Hassell was called up from Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday after Dylan Crews was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain. Hassell was in the starting lineup in center field, but his debut was pushed back a day because of a rainout.

“I think definitely I would have been a little bit more nervous yesterday,” Hassell said. “... But with the cancellation, I definitely feel like I got some more rest. When I came in, I was more ready for today. It felt like my second day instead of first.”

Hassell is the third Nationals player to make his Major League debut this season, joining right-handers Brad Lord (March 30) and Cole Henry (April 13). The No. 8 pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, he was acquired from the Padres in the 2022 Juan Soto blockbuster deal and added to the Nats’ 40-man roster in November.

“I hope to keep it up,” Hassell said. “I take a lot of pride in doing a little bit of everything. I want to be ready to swing the bat when I’m up there; when I get on base, be a threat on the bases; and when I’m in the outfield and they give me a low-percentage catch, go and make the catch. And I expect that from myself. Nothing more from the hitting or from the outfield -- all of it.”