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Jimenez Has At-Bat That's Above His Average
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Did the frustration show?
"Maybe he felt that way," Batista said. "But he didn't say anything."
That the Nationals would end up in extra innings would seemed at best unlikely when the eighth inning rolled around. They had been toyed with by a 23-year-old pitcher, Ubaldo Jimenez, who was making his third major league appearance, his first of the year, and had posted a 5.85 ERA at Class AAA Colorado Springs. Washington starter Matt Chico had allowed two-run homers to Troy Tulowitzki and Garrett Atkins -- both of which followed walks -- and the Nationals trailed 4-2.
And in the third, they lost Young, their only reasonably consistent offensive performer. Young came up with runners on first and third, the Rockies leading 2-1. It is in such situations that Young has become the Nationals' go-to player.
Yet Ubaldo Jimenez came with a 2-2 fastball. Young jackknifed his gigantic body a bit. Clearly he felt the pitch was inside, and that he had worked the count full. Home plate umpire Rob Drake, though, saw it differently. He quickly called Young out on strikes.
Young stared at the plate for a moment and muttered. He continued muttering as he walked slowly toward the Nationals' dugout. Drake responded by shaking his face mask at Young, who turned back around and yelled at Drake, now paces away.
After Drake's second shake of his facemask and Young's third response, Drake tossed Young. By that point, Acta was on the field, and he and on-deck batter Ryan Church swiftly got between Young and Drake.
"Heat of the moment," Acta said.
Without Young, the Nationals had to turn elsewhere for a rally. They did so in the eighth, when 22-year-old backup catcher Jesus Flores -- another player dealing with infrequent at-bats -- came up with two outs and men on first and second. Flores drilled a fastball on the outside part of the plate into right, enough to drive in one run. But Rockies right fielder Brad Hawpe allowed the ball to roll through his legs. Kearns scored from first to tie the game, and Flores ended up on third.
"I was very surprised," Flores said.
Not, perhaps, as surprised as Jimenez. Kearns had singled to start the 10th, advanced on Brian Schneider's sacrifice bunt and then again on a wild pitch. And when Jimenez's single shot past Hawkins and the pile of people arrived atop him, he was a stud for one moment, but a stud nonetheless.
