As he will be during the first game of every Nationals series this season, Nationals beat writer Spencer Nusbaum will watch the game alongside fans starting around first pitch at 6:40 p.m. ET on Monday. He’ll be joined by Phillies beat writer Matt Gelb.
CHICAGO — Joey Wiemer reached so far beneath the strike zone that gravity nearly stole the helmet off his head. He slid so aggressively that when he arrived at third base, he kicked up a cloud of dust, lifted his head a few inches above the bag and flashed a thumbs up to his dugout. He flipped his bat with such confidence that it seemed as though he would never record an out again. And down in the count 0-2 to a submariner, he ripped another ball through another hole against a submariner.
These, believe it or not, were four separate scenes, four distinct plate appearances on Sunday afternoon from one of the final players to make the Washington Nationals roster: First-inning homer, third-inning triple, sixth-inning walk and eighth-inning single.
With that, the Nationals took a 6-3 win over the Chicago Cubs, securing a victory in their season-opening three-game set at Wrigley Field.
Through one series, Wiemer is hitting 1.000… with a 1.000 OBP… and a 3.333 OPS. He has produced two homers, one triple, three singles, two walks and zero outs. According to Elias Sports, he joined Steve Henderson and Jeremy Hazelbaker as the third player since 1961 to reach in each of his first eight plate appearances.
If the season ended on Sunday, the National League MVP frontrunner would be a January waiver claim who has been designated for assignment three times in the last seven months.
He has lifted the Nationals to their first season-opening series win since 2018.
Go figure.
“It means a lot,” Wiemer said. “I put in a lot of work. It’s been a windy road. So head down, and keep going.”
“He’s the MVP,” said catcher Keibert Ruiz, who also homered in Washington’s win.
When the Nationals claimed Wiemer off waivers from the San Francisco Giants this winter, it wasn’t clear exactly how he would survive the organization’s roster churn. His competition included two emerging stars (James Wood, Daylen Lile), a Gold Glove finalist (Jacob Young), a former No. 2 pick (Dylan Crews), another former top 100 prospect (Robert Hassell III) and an organizational darling (Christian Franklin).
But he beat out Crews, Hassell and Franklin for the final spot. He wedged himself into the middle of the Opening Day lineup with a strong final few weeks of spring training and a dearth of right-handed hitters on the roster. The team asked him to get comfortable coming off of the bench late in games, and he did just that, crushing a walk-off homer to end spring training in West Palm Beach.
“In order for us to have a successful season, it’s going to take all 26 guys on this team — and probably another 20 that we’ll see at some point throughout the season — to contribute,” Nationals manager Blake Butera said. “There’s nobody on this team where it’s like, ‘Yeah, don’t expect to play.’ You all better be ready to contribute when your name is called.”
Every single plate appearance that followed has been productive. Wiemer was the first National to cross the plate in 2026, giving Washington a 1-0 lead on Thursday with a solo shot. He followed it up with a walk, then a ground-ball single, then another ground-ball single. After a day off against a lefty, he was back in the lineup.
“It’s been electric,” starter Jake Irvin said. “He does it with a lot of energy, a smile on his face. It’s cool. That’s what we’re building here. Just a fun weekend.”
Wiemer reached down and hooked a splitter below the zone into the left-field bleachers. He pounced on a first-pitch heater, ripped it to the wall and went head-first into third.
The Cubs, clearly aware of the production, brought in right-handed Phil Maton before Wiemer’s next plate appearance. The 27-year-old outfielder spent 30 seconds at the tablet next to hitting coach Matt Borgschulte, nodded his head and spat on every pitch outside the zone (save for a pitch inside that hit the knob of his bat). After eight pitches, he jogged to first with a walk.
In the eighth, he sent a low sinker through the hole between third base and shortstop.
When Wiemer addressed reporters after the game, the historical significance of his start hadn’t seemed to dawn on him. Perhaps that didn’t matter. Perhaps he had done something like this earlier in his life. Perhaps he hadn’t. He couldn’t remember.
The only place his mind could go is where it had been before. He had just spent a few weeks with San Francisco, four months with the Miami Marlins and many long days with the Kansas City Royals Triple-A affiliate, “staring at the sky in Omaha.”
Wiemer opted to keep the details of those Omaha thoughts private. When asked what was going through his mind back then, he said “too much.” When given a second of silence to elaborate, he said “too many bad things.” When asked what got him through those tough times, he attributed it to his “work ethic.”
And if he could talk to that guy, the one stuck watching the Omaha stars, what would he tell him?
“Keep going.”
Nationals send Andrés Chaparro to Triple-A
The Nationals optioned infielder Andrés Chaparro to Rochester on Sunday. That should clear space for infielder Curtis Mead, who was acquired in a trade with the Chicago White Sox on Saturday for catching prospect Boston Smith. Mead will join the team in Philadelphia on Monday.