Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood accepted an invitation to the Home Run Derby on Thursday afternoon. He then celebrated with a five-hit performance in an 11-7 win against the Detroit Tigers that established a new piece of franchise history.
Wood, who went 5 for 5 with a home run, became the youngest player in Nationals history to notch a five-hit game, at 22 years and 289 days old, according to CBS Sports HQ’s research guru Doug Clawson. That’s a notable achievement given the Nationals have employed the likes of Bryce Harper and Juan Soto, two players who reached the major leagues as teenagers, since relocating from Montreal to Washington, D.C. ahead of the 2005 season.
The distinction had previously belonged to infielder Luis García Jr., who recorded six hits in May 2023. (García was 23 years and 10 days old at the time of his performance against the Kansas City Royals.)
Here’s a look at Wood’s home run:
Wood entered Thursday hitting .283/.387/.547 (164 OPS+) with 22 home runs, 65 runs batted in and 12 stolen bases (on 16 attempts). His contributions had been worth an estimated 4 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball Reference’s calculations. Wood is now hitting .294/.395/.563.
Clawson’s research also revealed that Wood is just the second player aged 22 or younger to record 20-plus home runs, 10-plus stolen bases, and 50-plus walks before the All-Star Game. The other? Mike Trout, who accomplished the feat back in 2014. That’s mighty fine company to keep.
Wood won’t be able to enjoy his big day for long: the Nationals will celebrate the July 4 holiday with an 11 a.m. ET first pitch against the Boston Red Sox.
