BY RICH CAMPBELL
WASHINGTON
--Wil Nieves felt like he was in a dream as he rounded the bases last night.Fireworks exploded in the sky above as the 30-year-old journeyman catcher touched 'em all for the first time on a major league field. His two-run opposite field home run in the bottom of the ninth inning gave the Washington Nationals a dramatic 5-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs.
"When it went out, it was a great feeling," Nieves said. "It felt like I was running on the clouds. It was unbelievable. I've never had that experience."
As the delirious crowd of 35,154 at Nationals Park danced and celebrated, Nieves pumped his fists repeatedly, ecstatic over his first home run in 163 major-league at-bats. He gave the Nationals their second straight win, something they hadn't done since the third game of the season.
"Always nice to see anybody get their first big-league home run," manager Manny Acta said. "And the way he did it-opposite field to win a ballgame-was just a great feeling."
Nieves has been trying to gain a foothold in the major leagues for several years now. He's had a brief stint with the San Diego Padres in 2002 and played sporadically for the New York Yankees each of the last three seasons, but he's making the most of his opportunity in Washington.
Nieves was added to the roster earlier this month when catcher Paul Lo Duca was sidelined with a right bruised hand. His reputation is strictly as a defensive catcher. He entered last night's game with a career .180 average.
After so many tries to establish himself as a big-leaguer, he approached this opportunity with a relaxed perspective. Don't try to be a star, and have fun.
"I learned in baseball that the only thing I can control is my attitude and the way I play," he said. "I don't worry about stuff outside that."
So far, it's working. His walk-off homer raised his average this season to .368.
After falling behind no balls and two strikes against Cubs reliever Bob Howry, Nieves slapped a pitch that was high and outside into the Nationals' bullpen beyond the right-field fence. Nationals reliever Chad Cordero was shocked to see the ball coming his way, and he unsuccessfully tried to catch it in his hat. Eventually, the ball made its way back to Nieves.
"When I first saw it, I thought it was going to die," Cordero said. "But then it kept going and going."
The only tinge of disappointment for Nieves was that his wife, Yormarie, wasn't there to see it. Because he wasn't in the starting lineup (he entered in the seventh as a defensive replacement), she had gone to her hotel to rest after flying in from Puerto Rico earlier in the day.
"I just imagined her just jumping in the hotel, probably screaming," he said. "Probably the hotel management is going to the room to see what is going on."
Temporary closer Jon Rauch got the win after holding the Cubs in the top of the ninth. Once again, starter Odalis Perez, one of the Nationals most dependable players recently, was left without a win to show for a strong pitching performance.
He gave up only two runs in six innings, the fourth straight start in which he has allowed two or fewer runs. His record during that span, however, is 0-2, largely because Washington's offense hasn't backed him up.
His 1.96 run support-per-nine innings average entering the game ranked 87th in the National League. Last night, the Nationals provided him with the insufficient sum of three runs.
"It doesn't bother me," Perez said. "It's not like no one is trying. If I go out there and keep them in the game, that's important for me."
Washington struck in the first inning when Nick Johnson wiped out his 0-for-16 slump with one swing.
After Ryan Zimmerman drew a two-out walk, Johnson belted a 2-2 pitch from Cubs starter Ryan Dempster into the first row of the right-field mezzanine.
Lastings Milledge drove in the Nationals' third run with a clutch two-out hit in the sixth. On a 2-2 fastball from Dempster, he hit a one-hopper between first and second base, bringing home Cristian Guzman and giving Washington a 3-2 lead.
Washington reliever Mike O'Connor, however, walked in a run in the eighth, allowing the Cubs to tie it at 3-3. That set the stage for the most unlikely hero.
"You never expect that it's going to be a walk-off," Nieves said of his first major league homer. "We've been in a rough slump, trying to win games, so this is huge for us."
Rich Campbell: 540/735-1974
Email: rcampbell@freelancestar.com
CUBS 3 |