Jackson on pinch-running and making final out at the plate

Edwin Jackson has been asked to pinch-run enough times before - 13 times in his career, four times since joining the Nationals last month - that by now he knows when to anticipate it. And he knows to be prepared to be thrown into a meaningful game situation.

"I like doing it," the veteran pitcher said. "I like being a part of the game. And fortunately, the situations I'm in are normally like those type of situations, where the game is on the line. Either you're trying to tie the game or score the winning run."

So Jackson wasn't surprised to find himself leading off first base with two outs in the bottom of the ninth Sunday afternoon at Nationals Park, representing the potential tying run. And nobody among the crowd of 31,904 was surprised when Daniel Murphy promptly sent a base hit into right-center, setting the stage for what proved to be a thrilling conclusion to the opener of the Nats' doubleheader against the Mets.

As he watched Murphy's hit reach the outfield, Jackson knew what he needed to do.

"My first thought is: 'OK, I know I'm going to third,' " he said. "Definitely a first-to-third play."

Except, as Jackson was making his way toward third, his back to the outfield, Mets right fielder Travis Taijeron was letting the ball slip under his glove. Center fielder Juan Lagares, who also was in the vicinity, went to pick up the ball, but Nationals third base coach Bob Henley didn't hesitate to turn aggressive.

"So I'm looking at Henley ... and as I was kind of slowing down to stop at third, I get the wave to keep going," Jackson said. "So I try to continue up my pace, and I probably took a half-step chop around third, cause I was slowing down at first. I tried to pick it back up once I see him waving me around."

That awkward little move around third base, though, might have proven the difference between a tie game and a 6-5 loss. Because Lagares, second baseman Asdrúbal Cabrera and catcher Travis d'Arnaud completed a perfectly executed 8-4-2 throw to the plate, with d'Arnaud applying the tag to Jackson's left arm just before the pinch-runner could touch the plate.

There was, however, a significant question from the Nationals dugout: Did d'Arnaud block the plate before he had the ball in his position. Dusty Baker certainly thought so, and the manager immediately hopped out of the dugout to argue with plate umpire Andy Fletcher, prompting an official review by MLB umpires in New York.

"From where I was, he didn't have any chance of touching the plate," Baker said. "That's what it looked like to me. ... Clearly they didn't give him a lane to try to touch the plate. I thought they changed those rules for that purpose, to protect the catcher. But what happens when the catchers don't protect themselves? Is that OK?"

The New York crew disagreed with Baker's argument, and so the original call was upheld and the Nationals were left to stew over a 6-5 loss.

"As I saw the catcher blocking the plate, I have two options: Either slide around him, or try to run him over," Jackson said. "But going back, looking at the replay, it definitely looked like he was blocking the plate."

Has Jackson ever run over a catcher before?

"Probably not since high school," the 33-year-old said with a laugh. "Not since high school and my outfield days."

Jackson didn't hesitate to slide headfirst, though, despite the risks of a pitcher suffering an injury doing something other than pitching. He insisted he doesn't think about that in the moment.

"No, that's when I will get hurt," he said. "Normally, I won't slide headfirst. But in that particular play, it's not a play that I'm thinking headfirst or not headfirst. Instincts take over. And for me, I figure the only way to get around the shin guard without sliding into it was to slide headfirst and try to manipulate my slide going into home."

And no worries, Jackson insisted he didn't get hurt on this play.

"I feel great," he said. "I don't feel nothing."