Latest news with #RobertHassellIII
Washington Post
2 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
Nationals' first-inning ambush rewrites club record book in win over Arizona
PHOENIX — About 24 hours before the best first inning in Washington Nationals history, Robert Hassell III smiled while standing at his locker in the corner of the visitor's clubhouse at Chase Field and wanted to make sure he gave credit where it was due. This heater the Nationals offense has found itself on, one that has delivered the team 10 wins in 13 games following Saturday's 11-7 thumping of the Arizona Diamondbacks, was simply the product of good preparation. It was veterans Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Bell speaking up, and hitting coaches Darnell Coles and Chris Johnson 'nailing' the scout on the starters.
Washington Post
3 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
Josh Bell hits 3-run homer, Nationals knock off Diamondbacks 9-7 in series opener
PHOENIX — Josh Bell hit a three-run homer, Robert Hassell III had three RBIs and the Washington Nationals beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-7 on Friday night. Hassell hit a two-run single in the first inning and a run-scoring single in the seventh that put Washington up 9-6. James Wood hit a solo homer and Kyle Finnegan gave up a run on Geraldo Perdomo's groundout before closing out the ninth for his 16th save in 19 chances.
Reuters
3 days ago
- General
- Reuters
Nationals extend hot streak with win over D-backs
May 31 - James Wood hit a solo homer and Josh Bell added a three-run shot as the Washington Nationals beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-7 in the opener of a three-game series on Friday in Phoenix. Robert Hassell III had two hits and three RBIs for Washington, which has won three straight and nine of its past 12. Nathaniel Lowe contributed two hits, including a go-ahead two-run single in the sixth inning. Washington starter Jake Irvin (5-1) allowed six runs on 10 hits with one walk and no strikeouts over five innings. After Andrew Chafin and Brad Lord combined for three scoreless innings, Kyle Finnegan allowed a run in the ninth before recording his 16th save. Pavin Smith had two hits and two RBIs for Arizona, which has lost eight of its past nine games, including three straight. Geraldo Perdomo had two RBIs. The Nationals moved ahead 8-6 after loading the bases with two outs in the sixth inning when Lowe delivered a two-run broken-bat single against Juan Morillo (0-1). Washington tacked on an insurance run in the seventh when Luis Garcia Jr. hit a ground-rule double and scored on Hassell's one-out single. The Nationals began the scoring with two runs in the first inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, Hassell singled home two runs against Merrill Kelly. Arizona responded with four runs in the bottom of the first. Perdomo singled in a run before Ketel Marte scored on Josh Naylor's groundout. Eugenio Suarez and Smith added RBI singles to help the D-backs move ahead. The Nationals powered up to regain the lead with four runs in the third inning. Wood hit a leadoff blast for his team-leading 16th homer of the season and fourth in his past six games. Lowe followed with a four-pitch walk and Garcia singled before Bell crushed a 3-1 pitch over the center field wall for a three-run homer. The 430-foot blast was Bell's ninth homer this season. Arizona tied the game at 6-6 with two runs in the bottom of the third. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. singled in a run with one out before scoring from second on Smith's double. Kelly pitched five innings, giving up six runs (four earned) on six hits with two walks and six strikeouts. The D-backs pushed a run across in the ninth when Corbin Carroll scored on Perdomo's groundout. --Field Level Media
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Josh Bell hits 3-run homer, Nationals knock off Diamondbacks 9-7 in series opener
PHOENIX (AP) — Josh Bell hit a three-run homer, Robert Hassell III had three RBIs and the Washington Nationals beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-7 on Friday night. Hassell hit a two-run single in the first inning and a run-scoring single in the seventh that put Washington up 9-6. James Wood hit a solo homer and Kyle Finnegan gave up a run on Geraldo Perdomo's groundout before closing out the ninth for his 16th save in 19 chances. Nathaniel Lowe hit a go-ahead two-run single after Juan Morillo (0-1) walked the bases loaded in the sixth. Washington starter Jake Irvin (5-1) allowed six runs on 10 hits in five innings. Perdomo and Pavin Smith had two RBIs for Arizona, which has lost eight of nine. The Diamondbacks have been plagued by pitching blowups and fielding miscues during their recent slide. A mistake cost them early against Washington. Merrill Kelly appeared to be out of the first inning by inducing a two-out ground ball, but second baseman Ketel Marte dropped the toss from Perdomo at shortstop. Hassell followed with a two-run double and Kelly ended up throwing 17 extra pitches in the inning. Arizona answered with four runs in the bottom half against Irvin on three singles and a groundout. Homers hurt Kelly in the third. Wood led off with his 16th and Bell followed with a towering three-run shot to put the Nationals up 6-4. Kelly allowed six hits — four earned — on six hits and struck out six in five innings. Key moment Lowe's two-run single in the sixth broke a 6-all tie. Key stat Wood has an RBI in six straight games. Up next Washington RHP Michael Soroka (1-3, 5.61 ERA) faces Arizona RHP Brandon Pfaadt (7-3, 3.90) Saturday in the second game of the series. ___ AP MLB:
Forbes
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Washington Nationals' Young Robert Hassell III Can Be Barrels Of Fun
It took Robert Hassell III longer to reach the Major Leagues than expected. The Washington Nationals' 23-year-old outfielder fully intends to stay in The Big Show much longer. Hassell, you see, was a bigger-than-life high school legend. Many expected him to be in the Majors shortly after being drafted eighth overall and receiving a $4.3 million signing bonus in the 2020 MLB Draft. CLEVELAND: Robert Hassell III bats during the High School Home Run Derby at Progressive Field during ... More All-Star Week on July 7, 2019. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) That's more money than anyone in Thompson's Station, TN, has likely ever dreamed about – including Hassell when he was setting records there at Independence High School. Before that, on his 13th birthday, his team lost in the Little League World Series to legendary girl pitcher Mo'ne Davis. 'I've been in that situation where I'm facing Mo'ne Davis,' Hassell said shortly after being drafted. 'There are 40,000 people chanting Mo'ne Davis while you're up to bat, wanting her to strike you out. I've been in those situations, and they're tough. SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, PA: Mo'ne Davis pitches in a United States division game at the Little League ... More World Series tournament at Lamade Stadium on Aug. 20, 2014. (Photo by) 'Because I've had those nerves at 11-12, I don't want to strike out, I don't want to embarrass myself, I've been through those. Going through that made me more mature, not just from a baseball perspective, but from life in general. I figured out there are going to be people who want you to lose. There are going to be people who don't want you to do well. But if you know yourself, and you have confidence in yourself, you can overcome any of that stuff. I learned that at an early age and that's definitely helped me.' The 6-1, 180-pound left-hand hitter earned the nickname 'Bobby Barrels' for his ability to put the barrel of the bat upon a baseball. He did it all the time as a teen, hitting .407, .416, .423 and .500 in his four years of prep ball. He also pitched a no-hitter, striking out 17 with a fastball timed in the low 90s. As a junior, he fanned 113 and had a 1.07 ERA over 59 innings. "He's had that swing since he started playing baseball," Mike McLaury, Hassell's coach at Independence High told AJ Cassawell of in 2020. 'It hasn't changed much. He's just gotten bigger, stronger and faster, but his swing has not changed much. He was just born with it.' He hit a home run in his first time up all four years. When he made his big-league debut on May 22, he lined the first pitch he saw for a single. Between his scholastic stardom and MLB debut, Hassell endured a few unexpected career hassles. Great expectations turned to a tale of two cities as he was part of a blockbuster trade. Then he got hurt and for the first time in his life, struggled to hit. Drafted by the San Diego Padres, Hassell hit .302 with 11 homers and 34 stolen bases at age 19 in the low minors in 2021. The next year he was batting .299 with 10 homers and 20 steals in 75 games at High-A Fort Wayne when he became a key piece in a 6-for-2 deal for Nationals' sluggers Juan Soto and Juan Bell. CINCINNATI: CJ Abrams of the Washington Nationals is safe at third base on a throwing error by Tyler ... More Stephenson of the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on Aug. 06, 2023. (Photo by) Washington also got young outfielder James Wood, shortstop C.J. Abrams, pitchers MacKenzie Gore and Jarlin Susana and veteran first baseman Luke Voit. Gore went right into the Nationals' rotation and Abrams became an NL All-Star in 2023. Wood, picked in the second round in 2021, developed faster than Hassell and was called up a year ago. Now, he's hitting .288 with 15 homers, 42 RBI and 9 steals this year. Hassell, judged the top prospect in the Washington farm system at the time, went to the 2022 Arizona Fall League and broke the hamate bone in his right wrist. It took most of two year for him to recover. In 2023, he had another hand injury, struggling to hit .221 and had 161 strikeouts. Back to the AFL, he began to put his swing back in order and batted .290. But in 2024, he missed time with a groin injury and hit only .241 in 85 games across three levels. TALKING STICK, AZ: Robert Hassell III of the Salt River Rafters celebrates with teammates after ... More scoring against the Peoria Javelinas at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on Nov. 11, 2024. (Photo by Norm Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images) It was back to Arizona for a third time last fall. He hit .281 with four homers in 22 games. He had his own personal rooting section behind the plate calling out, 'Bobby Barrels'. It was his mom and dad. Hassell's father said 4-year-old Bobby looked awful as a right-hander. "He came back inside and told my mom, 'I think that's the worst thing I've ever seen in my life; I think we should try something else,'" Hassell told Cassawell. 'But he brought me back out there and he turned me around to lefty, and it was just natural. I was hitting everything.' He built upon his fall work and continued to make good contact this year at Triple-A Rochester, hitting .288 in 43 games and finally got the call up. He went 2-for-5 with two runs and a steal in his career debut against the Atlanta Braves. Then he went 0-for-12 with four strikeouts over four games, plunging his average to .118 before facing 2023 AL all-star Logan Gilbert of the Seattle Mariners on May 28. Hassell lined singles to left-center in the second and fourth innings. In the eighth, he launched a 415-foot homer to right-center off reliever Blas Castano. SEATTLE: Robert Hassell III of the Washington Nationals rounds the bases after hitting his first MLB ... More home run against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on May 28, 2025. The Nationals won 9-0. (Photo by) 'I'm glad to get (my first homer) out of the way,' Hassell told The Washington Post. 'I thank (manager) Davey (Martinez) for bringing me back down to earth before the game. Brought me in and was talking about just being me. ... So I have him the credit for that.' Hassell went on to credit the manager for calming him down from trying to hit a monstrous home run every time up. He likely will have many more ups and downs this year and in the future. While he was a precocious pick in the draft, everything had come easy to him because of his athleticism. The past couple of years, he has begun to learn what it truly takes to be a professional player. The athleticism is there. He's a good outfielder with speed to play center and the arm to play right field. And he has that sweet swing. Robert Hassell III still has all the makings of a star. Learning how to ignore the hype of being a top prospect and connecting all the dots to do it is not always as easy as it appears. Many other high draft picks never even reached the majors. Hassell has, and is determined to stay.
