Washington Nationals: Top 10 moments from the 2018 season
By Blake Finney
9 – Daniel Murphy’s late hit against the Phillies wins it in the early hours
With the end of June looming, and the Washington Nationals still in first gear, they needed a spark. For a moment, it looked like they may have had that spark when they scored six unanswered runs against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday Night Baseball.
The matchup had all the drama you could handle in a game with long balls early, a short rain delay, and then the late dramatics. But early on, it looked like the Phillies may complete a crucial three-game sweep of the Nats as they jumped out to a 6-2 lead through five innings.
The Nationals then had a two-out rally in the sixth inning, with four straight hits including Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon doubles to trim the deficit to one. Midnight struck and the teams continued to play on with a couple of innings remaining.
Seranthony Dominguez had his fair share of drama against the Nationals this year, and in this one, he surrendered the eventual game-winner. The Nats loaded the bases for the second time in the game and this time Daniel Murphy made them pay by blooping a two-RBI go-ahead single into right field.
Michael A. Taylor then followed Murphy’s single with one of his own to add some extra breathing room. Sean Doolittle then mercifully shut the door at nearly 1 am in the morning, sending Nats fans to bed happy.
The game didn’t end up being the turning point Nats fans hoped for as they then went on to lose two games against the Tampa Bay Rays. But anytime you can look back at a huge win over a divisional rival, it’s a fond memory and this cracks our list at number nine.