Rockies closer Seth Halvorsen never even turned around to watch the ball fly. He just walked off the mound knowing he’d given up a game-winning homer.
And interim manager Warren Schaeffer knew he’d made a tactical mistake.
James Wood, the Nationals’ rising star, launched Halvorsen’s 1-0 splitter 428 feet to center field for a two-run, 11th-inning, walk-off homer Thursday afternoon at Nationals Park. Washington won, 4-3, snapping its 11-game losing streak and putting the breaks on Colorado’s four-game winning streak.
Wood hit a two-run homer earlier off starter Chase Dollander, but Schaeffer decided to let Halvorsen face Wood with two outs and first base open.