Jake Alu spit on a 2-2 cutter low and away from Marlins’ closer David Robertson and home plate umpire Pat Holberg called it (correctly) ball three, 3-2, and Washington’s 26-year-old, 2019 24th Round pick rookie hit a full-count curve belt-high outside back up the middle to tie things up at 2-2 in the top of the ninth inning in Miami on Saturday afternoon.
Alu’s RBI single followed a leadoff triple by Lane Thomas, a hit-by-pitch on Joey Meneses, and an out at home plate when Thomas was thrown out by a drawn-in Marlins’ second baseman Luis Arraez as he (Thomas) tried to score after getting off to a slow start watching Dominic Smith’s ground ball to the right side.