Ryan Zimmerman made his MLB debut 14 years to the date — Sept. 1, 2005. , Sunday, Zimmerman was fresh off the injured list and playing in his first game since Jul. 21. His return came with a bang, as the first baseman hammered a two-run home run in the sixth to deep left-center 437 feet.
Zimmerman’s blast was the first of back-to-back homers in the inning as Yan Gomez went deep in the very next at-bat. Washington’s lead extended to 7-3 in the aftermath.
Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto each collected two-run home runs of their own, as Washington scored seven of their nine runs off four homers in a 9-3 win over the Miami Marlins. Rendon also surpassed Zimmerman for a Nationals’ single-season record with 111 RBIs.
For Zimmerman it was a special moment. He had not played in more than a month with plantar fasciitis in his right foot, the same injury that placed him on the IL from Apr. 28 to Jun. 27. His return coming on the 14th anniversary of his MLB debut made it all that more special with his two-run homer No. 268 of his career.
The festive Zimmerman joined in to the Nationals’ home run dance ritual by breaking out the “Walker” in the dugout.
Hopefully, Zimmerman can remain healthy and continue to contribute to a loaded Washington offense that right now may not have any weaknesses.
