Washington Nationals defeat Florida Marlins 3-1 to finish on a high – MLB Update
The Washington Nationals closed the season with an impressive 3-1 win over the Florida Marlins on Wednesday, September 28 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida.
Marlins could not finish aptly in what was their last game at this ballpark and possibly their last with manager Jack McKeon. The end to this journey was quite emotional. Charlie Hough threw the first pitch for the Marlins in 1993 and came out again on the
same mound to throw a final ceremonial pitch, wrapping all memories.
"Thanks for the memories," McKeon said. "I hate to see it end. It's emotional, no question. What got me were the fans. That was special."
The win could not prevent the Nationals going down in their sixth consecutive season, but had a lot to offer as far as the gains are concerned. Starter Stephen Strasburg is pitching tremendously after recovering from Tommy John surgery and the Nationals
can now hope of a better finish than this one.
Strasburg threw six scoreless innings to win his first game of the season, allowing two walks and one hit to finish the season with an ERA of just 1.50. The highlight of his spell, however, was the ten strike-outs that he produced.
Expressing his contentment after the game, Strasburg said, "It felt pretty good out there to go out and pound the strike zone like I know I can."
Washington’s manager Davey Johnson was all praise for the youngster and expressed that Strasburg's inclusion in the rotation will do wonders for the ballclub. He further commented that he has developed an attachment with the Nationals and will want to return
as manager if things work out.
Chris Volstad replicated Strasburg in hurling a six inning spell for the Marlins but was unlucky to lose his 13th game of the season after giving away two runs in the fifth. Ivan Rodriguez and Stephen Lombardozzi scored on Ian Desmond’s single
towards centre-field to break the deadlock in a low-scoring game. Logan Morrison brought the deficit down to one-run in the seventh inning but Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen held things together for the Nationals to finish on a high.
With a new ballpark in the downtown of Miami, the Marlins will now be renamed as Miami Marlins, effective from November 11. Will this change affect their performance, only time will tell!
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