Nationals Rookie Robert Hassell III Records Two Hits, Game-Winning Run in MLB Debut
Washington Nationals rookie Robert Hassell III needed just one swing to produce the first hit of his major league career.
Making his debut on Thursday against the Atlanta Braves, Hassell immediately turned on the first pitch he saw from right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver in the second inning, lining a low-and-inside 98.3-mph four-seamer into right field for a single.
“I figured just try to play chess a little bit,” Hassell told reporters, including MLB.com’s Jessica Camerato, following Washington’s 8-7 extra-innings victory. “They’re doing reports and stuff, they know it’s my first game, so I figured they were going to come right at me. That was the game plan — be ready to swing.”
Hassell celebrated the memorable milestone upon reaching first base, exchanging a hug with first-base coach Gerardo Parra. Two pitches later, he swiped second for his first big-league stolen base and came around to score a few batters later on CJ Abrams’ RBI single.
The 23-year-old secured his second hit of the night in the seventh inning, this time during a two-strike count off Braves reliever Pierce Johnson, finishing 2-for-5 in his debut as part of the Nationals’ walk-off victory in 10 innings to secure the series win.
“It felt great,” Hassell said. “Truly, the most important thing is that we got the dub. It feels amazing to win.”
In that 10th frame, Hassell began the bottom half at second base as the automatic runner and ultimately scored the game-winning run on Amed Rosario’s walk-off single.
“I kind of blacked out,” Hassell said. “I didn’t know if I should throw my helmet or do whatever. But as soon as I touched home plate, I knew we won and I was hyped, for sure.”
Originally, Hassell’s major league debut was supposed to happen Wednesday night at Nationals Park – only for a rainout to push it to Thursday’s series finale. He was called up from Triple-A Rochester prior to the postponement after Dylan Crews landed on the 10-day IL due to a left oblique strain.
The Nationals acquired Hassell in a package from the San Diego Padres that included young stars Abrams, MacKenzie Gore and James Wood in the 2022 Juan Soto blockbuster. His prospect stock had stalled over his first few years since coming over, but the left-hitting outfielder enjoyed a respectable start at Triple-A this season, hitting .288/.337/.405 with four home runs and 24 RBIs in 43 games.
Hassell also stole nine bases in 10 attempts with Rochester. And, as he proved Thursday night, his quickness should prove useful on a Nationals roster currently tied for fifth in stolen bases with 51 this season.
“I hope to keep it up,” Hassell said. “I take a lot of pride in doing a little bit of everything. I want to be ready to swing the bat when I’m up there; when I get on base, be a threat on the bases; and when I’m in the outfield and they give me a low-percentage catch, go and make the catch. And I expect that from myself. Nothing more from the hitting or from the outfield — all of it.”
As Camerato points out, Hassell is the third Nationals rookie to make his big-league debut in 2025, following right-handers Brad Lord and Cole Henry.
The Franklin, Tennessee, native – selected eighth overall by the Padres organization in 2020 – started in centre field on Thursday and is expected to continue playing regularly at that position, especially after Friday’s announcement of Jacob Young being placed on the 10-day IL with a shoulder strain.
Washington will host the San Francisco Giants for a three-game series this weekend, with the club looking to continue their recent streak of success, winning six of the previous seven contests – including two straight series sweeps.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: Something Original. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.