Washington Nationals closer Drew Storen slammed his fist into his glove after the umpire called strike three on the Seattle Mariners Chone Figgins in the ninth-inning. Storen threw three pitches, a sinker and two sliders and all three passed Figgins by without him swinging the bat for the final out of the game which preserved a 2-1 Nationals victory.
Storen picked up his 18th save. The Nationals picked up a .500 record.
Wednesday night's win moves the Nats record to 37-37 and has placed the Nationals at .500: the latest the team has had such a winning percentage this late in the season since 2005. It is a mountain finally climbed and a corner turned for Washington who have won 10 of their last 11 games. The victory comes off the bats of Danny Espinosa and Jerry Hairston Jr. who both picked up RBI singles that lead to the Nationals scoring. Left-handed pitcher John Lannan neutralized the Seattle offense only giving up one run on three hits. Lannan also racked up three K's while walking none; it was Lannan's first start of the year where he issued no free bases.
The Nationals continue to firm up their place in the NL East Standings. The 2011 Washington Nationals are in third place and continue to rise with no sign of stopping.