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| Nationals open season with drama-filled victory over the Braves | Nationals open season with drama-filled victory over the Braves |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| ATLANTA — Fresh starts come in many forms, in new managers and second basemen, in health regained or a position change. They are treasured most after disappointing endings, after gloomy winters spent wondering what went wrong. | ATLANTA — Fresh starts come in many forms, in new managers and second basemen, in health regained or a position change. They are treasured most after disappointing endings, after gloomy winters spent wondering what went wrong. |
| The Washington Nationals got their fresh start Monday afternoon, a topsy-turvy 10-inning drama in which the reigning MVP silenced a stadium of boos, rejuvenated stars and new regulars contributed, and familiar demons threatened to ruin it all. | The Washington Nationals got their fresh start Monday afternoon, a topsy-turvy 10-inning drama in which the reigning MVP silenced a stadium of boos, rejuvenated stars and new regulars contributed, and familiar demons threatened to ruin it all. |
| The Nationals survived with a 4-3 win over the Atlanta Braves because a new face drove in a familiar one in the 10th. First baseman Ryan Zimmerman reached on a throwing error by second baseman Gordon Beckham with one out in that inning. Second baseman Daniel Murphy, who had homered earlier, drove him home. Dusty Baker and his Nationals are 1-0. | The Nationals survived with a 4-3 win over the Atlanta Braves because a new face drove in a familiar one in the 10th. First baseman Ryan Zimmerman reached on a throwing error by second baseman Gordon Beckham with one out in that inning. Second baseman Daniel Murphy, who had homered earlier, drove him home. Dusty Baker and his Nationals are 1-0. |
| “We won an extra-inning game, on the road, and a one-run ballgame,” Baker said. “This is what we had talked about in spring training.” | “We won an extra-inning game, on the road, and a one-run ballgame,” Baker said. “This is what we had talked about in spring training.” |
| But before the first inning of Baker’s first game as Nationals manager ended, the 1997 Braves had paraded around the warning track in pickup trucks, contact fiend Ben Revere had struck out and normally aware Anthony Rendon was picked off first base. Opening Day chaos reigned. Bryce Harper stifled it. | But before the first inning of Baker’s first game as Nationals manager ended, the 1997 Braves had paraded around the warning track in pickup trucks, contact fiend Ben Revere had struck out and normally aware Anthony Rendon was picked off first base. Opening Day chaos reigned. Bryce Harper stifled it. |
| Fans at Turner Field booed Harper as he was introduced before the game, and he waved at them, both arms high above his head. The fans booed Harper as he walked to the plate for his first at-bat, and he homered, hands at his side as he rounded the bases. Harper has hit four Opening Day home runs by age 23. The major league record, for those of all ages, is eight. | Fans at Turner Field booed Harper as he was introduced before the game, and he waved at them, both arms high above his head. The fans booed Harper as he walked to the plate for his first at-bat, and he homered, hands at his side as he rounded the bases. Harper has hit four Opening Day home runs by age 23. The major league record, for those of all ages, is eight. |
| [Daniel Murphy gives Nats their money’s worth in opening win ] | [Daniel Murphy gives Nats their money’s worth in opening win ] |
| “Why not?” said Harper, conducting his postgame interviews in a hat that read “Make Baseball Fun Again.” | |
| “It’s just part of the game. Coming in here is a lot of fun playing. They had a sold-out crowd today. That’s the first time I’ve ever seen Turner Field sold out.” | “It’s just part of the game. Coming in here is a lot of fun playing. They had a sold-out crowd today. That’s the first time I’ve ever seen Turner Field sold out.” |
| The excited tumult paused when Harper hit a flyball that hooked high and deep to right. Everyone forgot to boo as it flew, consumed in a quiet moment of reality, reminded of the fact that new seasons do not always yield new outcomes — for better or worse. | The excited tumult paused when Harper hit a flyball that hooked high and deep to right. Everyone forgot to boo as it flew, consumed in a quiet moment of reality, reminded of the fact that new seasons do not always yield new outcomes — for better or worse. |
| Max Scherzer, for example, began his second season as a National the way he spent most of his first: impressively, but with an unhelpful propensity to allow home runs. He allowed three hits in seven innings, but two of them were solo homers. | Max Scherzer, for example, began his second season as a National the way he spent most of his first: impressively, but with an unhelpful propensity to allow home runs. He allowed three hits in seven innings, but two of them were solo homers. |
| A half-inning after Harper homered, Nationals killer Freddie Freeman did the same, beating Scherzer’s fastball. After Murphy homered in the fourth, his first hit as a National, Adonis Garcia homered, too — a hung slider, a mistake, Scherzer said later. | A half-inning after Harper homered, Nationals killer Freddie Freeman did the same, beating Scherzer’s fastball. After Murphy homered in the fourth, his first hit as a National, Adonis Garcia homered, too — a hung slider, a mistake, Scherzer said later. |
| Murphy, like Baker, represents the new blood these Nationals hope will help them rebound from last season’s disappointment. | Murphy, like Baker, represents the new blood these Nationals hope will help them rebound from last season’s disappointment. |
| “[What we accomplished from 2012 to 2014], that’s special,” Zimmerman said before the game. “But sometimes it’s good to shake it up, get some new teammates, new voices. Not that there was anything wrong with the old ones. But sometimes, it can be good.” | “[What we accomplished from 2012 to 2014], that’s special,” Zimmerman said before the game. “But sometimes it’s good to shake it up, get some new teammates, new voices. Not that there was anything wrong with the old ones. But sometimes, it can be good.” |
| Zimmerman, Rendon and Jayson Werth earned fresh starts courtesy of improved health after 2015 seasons largely lost to injury. Rendon provided the Nationals’ first hit of the season, a single up the middle in that crazy first inning. | Zimmerman, Rendon and Jayson Werth earned fresh starts courtesy of improved health after 2015 seasons largely lost to injury. Rendon provided the Nationals’ first hit of the season, a single up the middle in that crazy first inning. |
| But the Nationals’ good health did not survive Opening Day as Revere left the game in the fourth inning after feeling pain in his right side on his first swing of the season. Baker said his new center fielder is day-to-day. Revere said he hopes the scheduled day off Tuesday will quiet the trouble. | But the Nationals’ good health did not survive Opening Day as Revere left the game in the fourth inning after feeling pain in his right side on his first swing of the season. Baker said his new center fielder is day-to-day. Revere said he hopes the scheduled day off Tuesday will quiet the trouble. |
| [Nationals Journal: Ben Revere day-to-day with rib-cage injury] | [Nationals Journal: Ben Revere day-to-day with rib-cage injury] |
| Michael A. Taylor replaced Revere in center field. He hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game in the top of the ninth, driving home Werth, who fended off what looked like a sure out with a reasonably graceful and entirely effective slide into home as the ball bounced away from A.J. Pierzynski. | Michael A. Taylor replaced Revere in center field. He hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game in the top of the ninth, driving home Werth, who fended off what looked like a sure out with a reasonably graceful and entirely effective slide into home as the ball bounced away from A.J. Pierzynski. |
| The same Opening Day energy that can inspire a 36-year-old man to scamper home against the odds can also bring amnesia, erasing memories of just how many challenges 162 games can bring, obscuring potential weaknesses. The Nationals faced down theirs in the eighth inning, when the bullpen deflated. | The same Opening Day energy that can inspire a 36-year-old man to scamper home against the odds can also bring amnesia, erasing memories of just how many challenges 162 games can bring, obscuring potential weaknesses. The Nationals faced down theirs in the eighth inning, when the bullpen deflated. |
| Only one member of last season’s Opening Day relief corps, Blake Treinen, began this season in the bullpen. “Different” was supposed to equate to “better,” and still may. But on Monday, Felipe Rivero lost command. Shawn Kelley never found it. “New” did not mean “different,” at least for one day. | Only one member of last season’s Opening Day relief corps, Blake Treinen, began this season in the bullpen. “Different” was supposed to equate to “better,” and still may. But on Monday, Felipe Rivero lost command. Shawn Kelley never found it. “New” did not mean “different,” at least for one day. |
| Rivero entered a tie game in that eighth, walked one, allowed a hit and hit a batter. Kelley relieved him with two outs and the bases loaded. He threw four pitches, all balls, and three of them bounced. Baker headed to the mound to take him out, with a message for his infield. | Rivero entered a tie game in that eighth, walked one, allowed a hit and hit a batter. Kelley relieved him with two outs and the bases loaded. He threw four pitches, all balls, and three of them bounced. Baker headed to the mound to take him out, with a message for his infield. |
| “I just told our guys: ‘Hey, we’ve got to bail him out, because at some point in time we’re going to have to bail everybody on this team out,’ ” Baker said. “That’s how good teams operate.” | “I just told our guys: ‘Hey, we’ve got to bail him out, because at some point in time we’re going to have to bail everybody on this team out,’ ” Baker said. “That’s how good teams operate.” |
| Werth slid in with the tying run. Then Murphy drove home Zimmerman with the go-ahead run. In came Jonathan Papelbon, for the first time since choking Harper last September. He worked a perfect inning, then handed the game ball to his manager. | Werth slid in with the tying run. Then Murphy drove home Zimmerman with the go-ahead run. In came Jonathan Papelbon, for the first time since choking Harper last September. He worked a perfect inning, then handed the game ball to his manager. |
| “This is the start of a long, long race,” Baker said before the game. “You just kind of, you wish you had a crystal ball that would tell you what’s going to be the outcome of this, but that would take away from the thrill and the joy of playing the season.” | “This is the start of a long, long race,” Baker said before the game. “You just kind of, you wish you had a crystal ball that would tell you what’s going to be the outcome of this, but that would take away from the thrill and the joy of playing the season.” |