Zimmerman's 237th homer one to remember for D.C. baseball

A big part of the Nats' home run barrage on Thursday was Ryan Zimmerman. And that makes a lot sense.

Zimmerman took his rightful place in Nationals baseball lore with two homers, the second one getting him to 237 in his career ,which equals the all-time home run record in Washington baseball history set by former Senators slugger Frank Howard.

Howard played for the Dodgers, Tigers and Senators ffrom 1958-73. He hit 382 career homers, 237 in Washington. He was the Rookie of the Year in 1960 and appeared in the 1963 World Series with the Dodgers. He was a four-time All-Star and finished in the top nine in MVP voting four times.

"Any time you are mentioned with guys that played the game like he did, and what he did, he obviously hit a lot more home runs not here in D.C.," Zimmerman said. "I've had a chance to talk with him a bunch. Just the stories he tells and the kind of guy he is, it's pretty cool to do something he did while he was here. Obviously, playing here my entire career, things like that are pretty special."

Zimmerman has spent his entire career with the Nationals, arriving as the fourth overall selection in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Virginia. He has played 13 years in the majors and has accumulated 1,613 base hits with an .817 OPS.

Zimmerman hit his first homer of the game in the third inning, part of four homers in a row by the Nats. The club scored seven runs in the inning. His second homer came in the six-run fourth inning. He has 22 homers on the season.

Did Zimmerman feel any pressure to reach four consecutive homers in the third?

"I honestly didn't (know)," Zimmerman said. "I looked over at (Brian Goodwin) and I went, 'Is that four home runs in a row?' I don't know. I was just watching everyone hit home runs. I'm just glad I put a good swing. On my first bat, I struck out on three pitches. It was a good way to turn it around."

Had he ever seen four homers in a row?

"Not in the big leagues, for sure," Zimmerman continued. "I can't really remember anywhere. Fun to be a part of and good to continue the momentum that we started last (night)."

Manager Dusty Baker, who hit 242 homers in his illustrious 19-year career, said the two homers for Zimmerman are a part of recent uptick at the plate for his first baseman.

"That was a big double to right last night, which got him going," Zimmerman said. "And that keeps you inside and head down and you have to do everything perfectly to hit that ball the way he did last night. Perhaps Zim is on his way again and that would be a big plus to us."

But the importance of the face of the franchise getting to 237 career homers is special for Nats fans from 2005 to the present. It is special for all Washington, D.C., baseball fans because it adds to the lore of a city deserving of a spot in this great game's history. It also couldn't happen to a better person - to have Zimmerman and Howard at the top of the list is a good thing.