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Rodney Pierce/ALOST

akoiki-passport2 – by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief

WASHINGTON — Washington Nationals designated hitter Nelson Cruz got his milestone hit out of the way early on Sunday. Later, Cruz secured the bigger hit, much shorter in distance than his first, that sealed the Nationals’ first victory of the season.

Cruz’s two-run single with two outs in the eighth inning capped off a come-from-behind 4-2 victory by the Nationals over the New York Mets at Nationals Park on Sunday, preventing the Mets from completing a four-game sweep in the opening series of the season. In the first inning, Cruz hit his 450th home run off of Mets starter Carlos Carrasco, his first home run as a National and passing Hall of Famers Vladimir Guerrero and Jeff Bagwell on the all-time home run list.

“It was beautiful,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “He hits the home run, he stays inside a ball with two strikes, hits a ball up the middle, two big runs for us there [in the eighth].”

Cruz was acquired by the Nationals as protection to Juan Soto, who has seen players like Trea Turner and Anthony Rendon leave via trade or free agency over the past few seasons as Washington begins a rebuild after their 2019 World Series championship. Cruz’s presence also provide guidance to a number of the young players expected to have big roles in the lineup this season, and given his consistency during his Major League career — Cruz has hit 385 home runs since turning 30, tied for the fifth-most home runs since turning 30 — the reality of him being a leader should meet the expectations in 2022.

*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Sunday afternoon’s contest, with all photos taken by DC-area photographer Rodney Pierce. After clicking on the first photo to enlarge the picture, make sure to press the left and right arrow buttons to scroll through the rest of the pictures. There are 41 pictures in total.

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Tags : MLBNelson CruzNew York MetsWashington Nationals

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