Jake Irvin’s right hand whipped forward with the best of intentions Saturday afternoon at Nationals Park. He spun an 0-2 curveball toward Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto, a pitch he hoped would extricate the Washington Nationals from a third inning threatening to go off the rails.
The pitch, however, stayed up and in the middle of the strike zone. A moment later, Irvin’s hand was on his hip as Realmuto circled the bases, the misplaced curveball redirected 390 feet into the Philadelphia bullpen in left-center field for a three-run homer. The blast was the key blow in a 5-2 Phillies win that secured another lost series for Washington to start the season.
