Washington Nationals: Top 5 games of 2017

April 30 vs. New York Mets

After calf issues led to Anthony Rendon missing some time in Spring Training and Opening Day, he got off to a slow start. He had struggled while trying to get his swing back, and was hitting .226 heading into the final game of April.

However, Rendon’s season suddenly shot off like a rocket on April 30 against the rival Mets.

Batting sixth, Rendon came to the plate in the first with two runners on and two outs. A Noah Syndergaard wild pitch allowed the runners to advance into scoring position, giving Rendon an opportunity to drive in a couple runs early. He took advantage of this great opportunity, singling into left, driving in both runners.

Rendon’s second at-bat came in the third, and he put a run on the board once again, crushing his first homer of the season. The Nats’ potent lineup brought Rendon up to the plate again the next inning, and he homered in his second consecutive at-bat, giving the Nats a 10-5 lead in the fourth.

Incredibly enough, Rendon came up to bat again in the fifth, and hit a three-RBI double to put the Nats up 13-5. Three run-scoring extra-base hits in a game is great, but Rendon unbelievably did it in a span of three innings.

The Nats offense slowed down a bit, making Rendon wait until the seventh inning to get another at-bat. He singled in his fifth at-bat of the day, leaving him just a triple away from the cycle.

Rendon came up to bat again in the eighth inning, needing a triple for the cycle, but hit his third homer of the game instead, putting the Nats up 23-5. This would be his final at-bat in what will likely be the best game of his career.

When all was said and done, Rendon was 6-for-6 with three homers, five runs scored, and ten RBI’s. For a player who had gotten off to a slow start, that is not too shabby. On the day, he raised his batting average an incredible 52 points to .278.

Any win over the rival Mets is sweet, but crushing them 23-5 was the perfect way for the Nats to finish their great first month of the season.