WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - There’s one more exhibition game to be played here before the Nationals board their charter flight and head north for Thursday’s opener. But before we get to that, a few more observations and reactions to Monday’s 4-3 loss to the Cardinals in Jupiter. ...

* The play of the day - really, the play of the entire spring - came in the bottom of the first, when Paul Goldschmidt launched a drive to left-center off Joan Adon that everyone inside Roger Dean Stadium assumed was a solo homer.

Except left fielder Lane Thomas drifted back to the wall and leaped as high as he could in search of the ball, managing to at least tip it back towards the field. Where center fielder Dee Strange-Gordon was waiting in case the ball ricocheted off the wall. Instead, Strange-Gordon was in position to actually catch the deflected ball in the air, completing the most spectacular 7-8 flyout you’ll ever see.

“Incredible. Incredible,” Adon said via interpreter Octavio Martinez. “I thought it was a home run.”

Everyone did, even for a second or two after the play was completed. It took a moment for teammates, umpires and fans to realize what actually happened.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Will Harris recently underwent a follow-up procedure to clean scar tissue remaining from last year’s thoracic outlet surgery, delaying the Nationals reliever’s season debut even further, manager Davey Martinez revealed this morning.

Harris had the procedure Thursday in Dallas, performed by the same orthopedist who performed last year’s more complicated surgery to relieve pressure on a nerve near the right-hander’s armpit that was causing his hand to swell up after pitching.

The 37-year-old came to camp last month hoping to be ready to go on opening day, but after several appearances against live hitters he complained of issues that left him still not feeling right. He traveled to Dallas to be examined by Dr. Gregory Pearl, who performed last year’s thoracic outlet surgery, and the diagnosis was that scar tissue was affecting the nerve.

Martinez said Harris will be prevented from throwing for three to four weeks, after which he’ll start building his arm back up. The club hasn’t made any official roster move yet, but he would seem to be a candidate to open the season on the 60-day injured list, which would clear a 40-man roster spot for one of several non-roster invitees expected to make the team.

Frustrating as this delay is for Harris, who has made only 28 appearances for the Nationals since signing a three-year, $24 million contract entering the 2020 season, the veteran reliever at least knows now what was causing this latest round of issues, and it’s now been addressed.

JUPITER, Fla. - Joan Adon was 2 1/2 years old when Albert Pujols made his major league debut for the Cardinals in April 2001. The Dominican-born right-hander has spent his entire life watching Pujols mash baseballs in St. Louis, Anaheim and every other town in the National and American leagues.

So when Adon, now 23, stood on the mound at Roger Dean Stadium today and saw Pujols, now 42, standing in the batter’s box awaiting his pitch, the young Nationals hurler couldn’t help but appreciate the significance of the moment.

“It was very emotional and exciting,” he said, via interpreter Octavio Martinez. “When I was a little kid, I saw him on TV playing. And he’s obviously a great player. So now getting a chance to face him, that’s incredible.”

Star-struck or not by a Cardinals lineup that included Pujols, Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado and Yadier Molina, Adon had work to do this afternoon. With opening day a mere 72 hours away, the rookie is still in big league camp, getting a chance to start a big league game against a lineup loaded with big league hitters.

Adon’s performance today - three runs, four hits, one walk, five strikeouts over four innings - wasn’t the kind of eye-opening performance that would normally lock up a spot in the Nationals’ season-opening rotation. Given his lack of experience - only four starts higher than Single-A - the safe play would have him joining top prospect Cade Cavalli with Triple-A Rochester to begin the season.

Ask any knowledgeable baseball fan of a certain age about the significance of Aug. 12, 1994, and you'll get a shudder and a scowl out of them. That's the day Major League Baseball players went on strike, a decision that ultimately led to the cancellation of the World Series and a delayed start to the following season.

For the second time in three years, the Major League Baseball season will not start on time. And for the first time in 27 years, it's because of a labor dispute.

Unable to come to terms with the MLB Players Association on a new collective bargaining agreement before the league's self-imposed, once-postponed 5 p.m. deadline today, commissioner Rob Manfred officially announced opening day will not take place as scheduled March 31, then added he has canceled the first week of the regular season.

For much of Monday, the prospect of the first postponed opening day due to a labor fight looked inevitable. As representatives of Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association gathered yet again at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla., for yet another day of negotiations, even the most optimistic observers were left believing a deal couldn't be reached in time to satisfy the league's Feb. 28 deadline to ensure an on-time start to the season.