Nuñez collects first major league knock in surprise pinch-hit at-bat

SAN DIEGO – In the moment, it was a small maneuver. Even Nasim Nuñez himself was a bit surprised at the timing of it, though he figured it was going to come in an 8-0 game.

But Nationals manager Davey Martinez waited until the last possible moment to let Nuñez know he was going to pinch-hit for CJ Abrams in the top of the ninth to give the starting shortstop a breather.

Jacob Young was already in the midst of drawing a leadoff walk when the Rule 5 pick gathered his things to step onto the on-deck circle. Except Martinez told him so late, he wasn’t even using his things.

“I was mentally prepared for it, but I didn't know if it was actually gonna happen,” Nuñez said of getting the call to get in the game. “So I was like, ‘Oh, man.’ And then I didn't have my batting gloves, so I was like, ‘CJ, let me get yours real quick.’”

Using Abrams’ gloves, the 23-year-old stepped into the batter’s box for his 12th big league plate appearance still in search of his first major league hit. Facing Padres left-handed reliever Tom Cosgrove, Nuñez fell behind 0-2 but battled back to even the count 2-2.

Cosgrove’s fifth pitch was a high-and-tight 89 mph sinker that Nuñez muscled the other way into right field, just past second baseman Jake Cronenworth. When he reached first base, he had his elusive first big league knock.

“It's kinda like, man, finally it found a hole and went through,” he said. “But (first base coach Gerardo Parra) asked me if I was happy. I was like, yeah, but it's kind of tough when we're getting blown out like that. So it's like, yeah, I'm glad I got the hit, but I really wish I would have got it when we were winning.”

“I kind of surprised Nuñez a little bit,” Martinez said gleefully. “Just kind of throw him out there and he did great. He got his first hit, and I loved it.”

The Nats were able to score five runs in the ninth inning. But it was too little too late in an eventual 8-5 loss to complete the sweep at the hands of the Padres.

Nuñez did, however, come around to score on Lane Thomas’ two-run double. And when he returned to the dugout, he had some thanks for his teammate who gave him his gloves, but none for his manager who gave him the opportunity.

“He gave me some superpowers,” Nuñez said of Abrams. “That man can hit, so he passed along whatever he had left in the tank.”

“It was awesome,” Martinez said. “Like I said, I didn't want to tell him. I was contemplating just taking CJ out. I didn't tell him till he had to go on deck and go hit. So the element of surprise sometimes does help.

“Man, I remember my first hit in the big leagues. Gene Michaels did the same thing to me. I sat there and I sat there, and he goes, 'Hey, kid, you're hitting now.' And I was like, 'Whoa, whoa.' And first pitch, I got a base hit. I'm happy for him though. I'm happy. I don't know why he thanked CJ though. He thanked CJ and I said, 'Hey, what about me?' I'm happy for him. He's a good kid.”

Nuñez’s stats page will forever have a major league hit now, something he said is a dream come true.

“It's cool to know that I got a big league hit,” he said. “It's most definitely living out a dream that I've had and a whole bunch of my family and friends have, so it's really cool.”

The Nationals collected the ball for Nuñez to keep. But he wasn’t worried about that after reaching first base. He wanted to finally do a dance on the bag, the Nats’ celebration for a hit this season.

“I was worried about doing a little dance,” Nuñez said. “I was trying to get the little dance in. I saw everybody asking me for the ball and I was like, ‘Ya'll gotta look at my dance.’ But it was cool that they got it for me for sure.”

Now that he has the ball, where is he going to keep it?

“Away from my mother,” he said while revealing she asked for it right after the game while already in possession of a number of mementos from his career.