PHILADELPHIA — Andrew Pinckney woke up Tuesday morning thinking it would be a normal day. At 2:30 p.m., he was preparing as usual for the Rochester Red Wings — the Washington Nationals’ Class AAA affiliate — hitters’ meeting in Scranton.
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Except Pinckney never made it to the meeting. Manager Matt LeCroy told Pinckney he had to get out of there, because the Nationals needed him to replace the injured James Wood. This set up a whirlwind 48 hours. On Tuesday, he fought Philadelphia traffic and arrived at Citizens Bank Park in the second inning. A day later, he made his debut in the 10th inning and scored a run.
On Thursday, he got his first start. In his second at-bat in the fourth inning, he connected on a 94.6 mph sinker from Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez and sent it to right-center field. His first hit was a solo home run, one of only seven players in Nationals history who can claim that. It wasn’t enough to help Washington beat Philadelphia, as they still fell 7-3 and ended the road trip 1-7, but it could help Pinckney.
If, and how, he fits in when Wood returns and in future seasons will be determined later. But this moment will be something that Pinckney, regardless of the loss, will remember forever.
He didn’t think it was going out of the park; his first objective after he connected with the ball was just trying to get on base safely. When the umpires signaled that it was a home run, he just kept running, not remembering until he was passing second to point to the bullpen and his family.
“That was pretty fun, pretty crazy,” he said. “I was just freaking out.”
He’s waited his turn for this moment, spending almost two years in Class AAA as a backlog of outfielders ahead of him blocked him from getting to the majors. On Monday, the team traded Christian Franklin to the Baltimore Orioles, who then made his debut for them Tuesday. When Wood went on the injured list Tuesday, Pinckney was finally the next man up.
“I was just focused on Scranton and who they had over there and then had to play the Phillies,” he said. “That was pretty crazy. I guess that’s how life works.”
It helped make the transition easier, Pinckney said, because he already knew the majority of the clubhouse. He’s been in major league spring training the past two years and also played with many of the current roster as they were coming up through Rochester.
Pinckney’s family and girlfriend made it in time to see his debut and celebrated in the stands Thursday after his home run.
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“They’ve just been with me through everything,” he said. “We didn’t necessarily expect to be here, a lot of things have led to this. Just having them there to see it, it means everything.”
And while one career is starting, another is trying to hold on as the team starts to look toward its future. Miles Mikolas was Wednesday’s hero, successfully executing a sacrifice and scoring a run in the 11th inning of the 10-4 win to help the Nationals snap a seven-game losing streak. On Thursday, he was the reason the team found themselves in a hole. He allowed six runs in five innings, the Phillies attacking him for eight doubles.
“It just seemed like they were on everything tonight,” Nationals Manager Blake Butera said. “Miles, I don’t think he had his best stuff today, and they sure seemed to capitalize on every mistake he made.”
Mikolas hit 10 years of service time Thursday. He was honored pregame in the clubhouse and gifted a belt buckle.
The Nationals also had offensive contributions from Jacob Young, who had an RBI single in the second inning and hit a triple in the sixth inning, scoring later in the inning on a single from Keibert Ruiz. Washington had other chances, including loading the bases in the fifth inning with one out, but failed to convert.
Note: Connelly Early, who has been on the injured list with elbow inflammation since July 1, felt forearm tightness during a live batting practice Monday. The Nationals are being “ultra cautious,” Butera said, and pausing his progression.
Early was acquired July 25 from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Curtis Mead. The Nationals said at the time that they expect him to be able to start this season, but this setback could be pushing his timeline back.
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