When Dylan Crews was drafted No. 2 overall by the Washington Nationals in 2023, there was a time when this fanbase envisioned that they would rather have him up at the plate over anyone else.
Three years later, that situation came to life. With the game tied at four in the bottom of the 10th inning, Crews stepped up to the plate with a chance to win it for the Nationals. However, the feeling many have about the former top prospect has changed, as he has not had the success anyone envisioned for him during his professional career.
But on Saturday, he came up big for Washington. He secured a victory with his first major league walk-off hit that also happened to be the team's first walk-off win of the season.
Washington Nationals first baseman Andres Chaparro and right fielder Dylan Crews | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Getting to the point where they had a chance to win was anything but easy. The Nationals were on fire at the start of the game. Their ace Cade Cavalli set the tone early by striking out the side in the first inning, and then, the offense put up four runs in the third.
But after that, things did not go smoothly.
Cavalli had to leave his outing early after the fourth because he was hit by a comebacker. When he departed, he was throwing a no-hitter with eight strikeouts and three walks. From there, the bullpen gave up some runs, as a homer by the Miami Marlins in the top of the seventh inning eventually tied things up at four. Meanwhile, as Washington's pitching staff was getting strained, the offense went silent. After their explosion in the third, they went 0-for-21 the rest of the way before extra innings.
No one would have been shocked if Washington crumbled in the top half of the 10th. After all, this bullpen has not been reliable in high-pressure situations throughout the year. But right-hander Orlando Ribalta had a different plan in mind, as he pitched a scoreless frame where he struck out two. Then, in the bottom half of the 10th, with two outs, both Jose Tena and Daylen Lile showed incredible plate discipline by drawing back-to-back walks that loaded the bases.
Crews took things from there in what was the most clutch moment of his major league career.
Of course, the hope is that this can be something that sparks Crews at the plate. He is still searching for consistency in his professional career, and it's unclear at this stage if that will ever come. But by coming up clutch and recording his first big league walk-off hit, that should inspire a ton of confidence that he can become an impact player for the Nationals.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/nationals/onsi as Dylan Crews Comes Up Clutch as Nationals Record First Walk-Off Win in 2026 .
