Washington Nationals: 10 greatest moments at Nationals Park
By Brian Foley
3. Bryce Harper & Ryan Zimmerman homer in NLDS Game 2 (2017)
Already down 3-1 in Game 2 of the NLDS, the Nats were just six outs away from losing the first two games of the series at home to the Cubs.
Adam Lind led off the eighth inning with a pinch-hit single, but a Trea Turner strikeout pushed Nationals fans further to the brink. The middle of the order was up, and if they didn’t deliver now, it seemed like a 2-0 deficit was inevitable.
Fortunately, the middle of the order came through. Bryce Harper worked a 3-1 count against righty Carl Edwards Jr. before unfurling a trademark violent hack, sending the ball 421 feet into the second deck of a sea of red in the right field porch. There was life in Nationals Park yet.
Maddon stuck with Edwards for Anthony Rendon, who worked an eight-pitch walk. Edwards finally got the hook, but Mike Montgomery did not fare much better. Daniel Murphy laced a single to left field, setting the table for Ryan Zimmerman. And like every great franchise icon does, he delivered too. Montgomery hung an 0-1 changeup, and Zimmerman took it for a ride, sending the ball into the first row of the left field seats. Nats Park exploded, Sean Doolittle shut the door in the top of the ninth, and Washington was headed to Wrigley with new life in the series.