The Washington Nationals ended their nightmare month of June on a high note on Sunday afternoon, earning a hard-fought 7-4 victory to take the series over the Los Angeles Angels. It was the team's only series victory in the month of June, as they finished with a 7-18 record in the month that featured an embarrassing 11-game losing streak.
However, while the club struggled throughout the month, a few key players stood out from the rest of the team. Most notably, one player stood head and shoulders above the rest: James Wood. The 22-year-old, despite inexplicably not being named a finalist to be a starter in the National League outfield for the All-Star Game in a couple weeks, has ascended into one of the game's most feared hitters, and the Angels proved just that on Sunday.
For a guy who has played just over a full season's worth of games at the big league level, 163 to be exact, you would think that Wood has been in the league for years, as his plate approach shows maturity and wisdom that is more advanced than most of his peers. He ranks 9th in MLB in OBP with a .386 mark, and is the youngest player by far on a list that includes guys like Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Kyle Tucker, and others who have been in the show a lot longer than Wood has.
That .386 mark also received a big time boost in Sunday's game against the Angels, when the home team chose to intentionally walk the young slugger in 4 consecutive plate appearances after he started the game with a hit in his first 2 at-bats. Watching the game, you couldn't help but get flashbacks to the series at Wrigley Field in May of 2016, when Bryce Harper was walked 13 times in a 4-game series against the Cubs, setting the tone for what would end up being a frustrating season for the reigning MVP.
players intentionally walked FOUR times in a game:
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) June 29, 2025
andre dawson, barry bonds, roger maris, manny ramirez, gary templeton
+ JAMES WOOD pic.twitter.com/0btkJPd2RD
However, while Harper was intentionally walked as many as 3 times in 1 game, he never got to 4 times in a single game, which Wood accomplished on Sunday. As for just how historic of a feat this was, the last player to be given first base without contest in a single game was Barry Bonds back in 2004, back when he was in his peak steroid form as he chased down the home run record.
Bonds was 39-years-old at the time, and Wood is just 22-years-old and is already being given the same treatment as one of the greatest players to ever play the game. In fact, Wood joined some very prestigious company on Sunday, as outside of Bonds, the only other players in MLB history to be intentionally walked 4 times in a single game are Manny Ramirez, Andre Dawson, Garry Templeton, and Roger Maris. For anyone who is older than me who got to experience these guys play, you would know that Wood is in some pretty elite company.
Whether the Angels were hellbent on not letting Wood beat them or if they were just too scared to face him in crucial spots, they showed the young slugger of the Nationals the ultimate sign of respect, and perhaps we will see more teams adopt this practice when they face Wood. Given that Nationals hitters Luis Garcia Jr. and Amed Rosario did not record a hit after any of Wood's walks, it appears as if the Angels' strategy might have been a logical play, as with the quality of the Nationals' lineup, there is no reason to pitch to Wood if you don't need to at this point.
This instance goes to show just how good James Wood is at playing the game of baseball, and how blessed we are as Nationals fans to be able to watch him suit up for our favorite team every night. We must not take his abilities for granted, as you never know what can happen in this beautiful sport.
What do you think of James Wood's latest incredible feat? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.