With his first hit in his first MLB AB, Wood has a debut to remember

WASHINGTON -- James Wood reached first base, broke out a smile and did the Nationals' celebratory on-base dance. He looked happy. He looked at ease. He looked like he was where he was supposed to be.

Wood, ranked as the Nationals’ No. 1 prospect and MLB’s No. 3 overall, connected on a line drive to left field in his first Major League at-bat.

Just like that.

“[First-base coach Gerardo] Parra, he kind of said it after that: ‘Welcome to the Majors,’” Wood said.

The 21-year-old Maryland native stepped up to the plate in the second inning of the Nationals’ 9-7 loss to the Mets to a roaring ovation from the home crowd of 26,719 at Nationals Park. Wood had never been at the center of a reception of that magnitude before, and he tried to approach it like another plate appearance. He worked a seven-pitch at-bat against Mets starter David Peterson in a lefty-lefty matchup, and when he saw a 93.9 mph sinker in the zone, he made contact.

“I was just kind of looking for a fastball,” Wood said. “His fastball’s got a run and sink on it, so I was trying to push it up and away, especially after I swung through the one down. Then I was just able to get one.”

Wood’s opposite-field single registered an exit velocity of 106.7 mph. For context, the league average exit velocity on singles is 90.7 mph. It also ranked in the 97th percentile of Nationals batted balls this season and had a hit probability of 61 percent.

When it comes to Nationals first career hits, Wood’s ranks as the second-hardest hit, behind only Juan Soto's at 106.8 mph on May 21, 2018. The top five in that category is rounded out by Pedro Severino (106.4 mph, Sept. 20, 2015), Joey Meneses (105.9 mph, Aug. 2, 2022) and Jakson Reetz (104.8 mph, July 10, 2021).

Once on base, Wood can do just as much damage as he can at the plate. In the next at-bat, Keibert Ruiz sent a line-drive single an estimated 238 feet into right field. That was enough for Wood to advance from first to third base.

“The kid did well, he really did,” said manager Dave Martinez. “That’s what we talked about. He took his walks, he got a base hit his first at-bat, hit the ball the other way, and he hustled. The kid, you watch him, you don’t think he can run but he runs pretty fast. I really liked his at-bats today.”

Wood experienced his first big league high-leverage situation when he led off the ninth inning in a 3-3 tie. He reached first base on a throwing error off a chopper to reliever Jake Diekman, bobbled his helmet as it flew off and safely slid head-first into second as the ball traveled into foul territory.

“As soon as that ball’s hit, I’m just trying to hustle and make it difficult for him and just trying to apply pressure,” Wood said. “Then I see the ball go past him. At first I kind of hesitated -- I didn’t really know if I was going to be able to get to second on it. Then I kind of saw it kicked, and I took off from there.”

In the 10th with a runner on second and two outs, Wood demonstrated plate discipline by drawing a five-pitch walk against Tyler Jay. Wood was in scoring position in a 9-7 two-run game when Luis García Jr. struck out to end the rally.

“Late in the game, you’re facing a lot of their guys,” Wood said. “Luckily, I’ve faced a lot of these guys with the Mets before [in Spring Training and Triple-A], so I was a little bit more familiar. Kind of just go up there and try to treat it the same. Don’t try to do too much.”

Wood finished the night 1-for-4 with a strikeout and groundout. He was stranded at third base on both of his hits.

Wood’s instant production is a continuation of what he has been showcasing this season. He slashed .353/.463/.595 with 10 home runs, 37 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 52 games at Triple-A this season.

“We felt like he could give us a little boost on our offense,” Martinez said. “We’re struggling scoring some runs, and I think his bat will definitely help us. And we felt like he was ready. He checked all the boxes down there. We’re going to have some growing pains just like we do with all of them, but we felt like he was ready.”

The Nationals acquired Wood from the Padres in the eight-player Soto blockbuster deal at the 2022 Trade Deadline. At the time, Wood was playing in Single-A and ranked as San Diego’s No. 3 prospect (MLB No. 88 overall). Two years later he took the field with trademates MacKenzie Gore on the mound and CJ Abrams starting at shortstop.

“It was cool,” said Gore, who struck out eight batters in 5 2/3 innings. “I’m excited to watch him play every day and keep getting better and better. He’s going to help us, he’s going to make us better. I’m glad he’s here, and it’s going to be fun to watch.”

For a player on a new team, Wood’s debut came with familiarity: He participated in Major League Spring Training with the majority of the current team, he was able to visit his parents’ house on Sunday and he had the support of his family, friends and coaches -- including former St. John’s High School basketball coach Pat Behan, who is battling ALS -- on hand at Nationals Park.

“It’s unreal,” Wood said. “Being able to play for the team I grew up around and watching is a blessing.”

The reserved slugger who lets his play do most of the talking paused to consider when asked for one word to describe his momentous day.

“I would say, ‘Special,’” Wood said. “You only make your debut once.”