The Washington Nationals won the finale against the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, and that secured a sweep for themselves after they had lost seven games in a row prior to their weekend set getting underway.
This was a good moment for the Nationals, as they are trying to finish the year on a high note so they can enter the offseason feeling good about themselves after they largely had a successful year. It has been anything but easy over the past month-and-a-half , so the fight showed by this young group during this matchup should be taken as a positive.
However, there was something that occurred during Sunday's game that irked franchise legend Ryan Zimmerman .
Former Washington Nationals player Ryan Zimmerman | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
In the bottom of the first inning, with Washington down 1-0, they had a chance to immediately answer back when they had the bases loaded with just one out. Yohandy Morales hit the ball to shortstop, which seemed like it might be turned for two. However, Angels shortstop Zach Neto decided to come home with the throw, despite the fact that they were playing with the infield back.
That turned out to be the right decision. But only because James Wood, who was the runner on third base, jogged home instead of sprinting to the plate. That allowed him to be thrown out, which took a run off the board and resulted in the Nationals not scoring during that inning.
Zimmerman, who was one of the color analysts on the television broadcast, was not a fan of that.
"Yeah, I wouldn't say he was running hard," Zimmerman stated when looking at the replay. "I don't know if it would have mattered. ... You're supposed to be running hard all the time."
Manager Blake Butera said after the game that Wood immediately apologized for not running hard and that he didn't expect a throw to be made to the plate with the infield back. But that's still no excuse from a leader of this ballclub .
Of course, in the end, it didn't cost Washington. They were able to overcome that moment and win 6-5. But the Nationals aren't necessarily playing for results on the field this year. They are playing to install something that will allow them to get back to being a competitive franchise in Major League Baseball again, which is why star players like Wood have to be doing the little things right.
Zimmerman knows that. He was the first-ever pick by the franchise back in 2005, and he was a consummate professional throughout his career, which earned him the nickname "Mr. National." Wood and the other current players should take his advice to heart.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/nationals/onsi as Nationals Legend Ryan Zimmerman Criticizes James Wood for Lack of Hustle .
