We won’t go as far as to compare him to a gazelle, though did you see Ryan Zimmerman run the bases in the bottom of the sixth inning in game two of the Baltimore Orioles series? The Nationals part time first baseman had himself an inning, while having himself a game, in the midst of having himself a comeback season.
First, he legged out an infield single on a little dribbler down the third base line. Then, he tagged and took second base on a deep fly ball. The productive out scored Juan Soto from third base, and a heads up play from Zimmerman put him in scoring position. Kyle Schwarber followed with a base knock to right field, and Zimmerman raced around to score.
The 36 year old, 16 year veteran, rounded the bases with what looked like little energy expended. He continues to be one of the most consistent hitters in the Nationals lineup and on this day, was a catalyst for the offense.
Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman continues to play terrific baseball in climbing to the top of another all-time franchise list.
Weeks after moving into second place on the franchise singles list, Zimmerman replaced Tim Raines in first place for most runs scored in franchise history.
Ryan Zimmerman's 3rd run of the day is the 948th of his @MLB career.
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) May 22, 2021
He's passed Hall of Famer Tim Raines for most in Nats-Expos franchise history.#NATITUDE pic.twitter.com/zWDi7Lrjjq
Zimmerman does not have enough at-bats to qualify, though he leads the Nationals in batting average and OPS this season. When the Nationals have needed a big hit, more times than not, Mr. National has come through. He is hitting .364 as a pinch hitter on the year, while spelling Josh Bell nicely when Zim gets his turn to start.
With the Orioles game tied at six apiece, Zimmerman smoked a three-run home run to put the Nationals on top for good. He would finish the game with three hits, three runs, and the three RBI.
For Nationals fans who were too young to see Ryan Zimmerman play in his prime, they are getting a special treat this year. On the heels of the 2019 postseason Zim had, opting out in 2020 did nothing to affect the bat speed or timing.
His role may be different, though his production is as good as ever.