Gallo breaks out, hits first HR with Nats in win over Pittsburgh

WASHINGTON – Joey Gallo was efficient in checking off season firsts.

Gallo belted his first hit -- a towering home run -- and double of 2024 in Wednesday’s 5-3 win over the Pirates at Nationals Park. He snapped an 0-for-12 skid to start his inaugural season with the Nats.

“It always feels good to square a ball up and hit a ball over the fence, for sure,” the first baseman said. “It just feels good to help the team win; you feel like you’re contributing.”

Gallo’s lead-off blast in the second inning off a cutter from right-hander Mitch Keller soared 447 feet to right-center field. It was the Nats' longest-hit homer since Juan Soto pummeled one 451 feet on April 12, 2022. Traveling out of Nationals Park at 109 miles per hour, Gallo’s dinger had an expected batting average (xBA) of 1.000.

“He hit it, and I just dropped my head and I was like, ‘Yes!’” said manager Dave Martinez. “I didn’t see how far it went or anything. It was like, ‘Alright!’ That’s a good start. It was awesome. He’s hit a lot in his career; I’m glad he got the first one out of the way for us.”

The solo homer sparked a four-run inning that claimed an early lead for the Nats and provided a cushion for the pitching staff.

“I’m really glad that we’re on the same team together,” starter Trevor Williams said. “I’m really glad that he’s hitting home runs and coming back to our dugout instead of the other dugout. He’s been doing it for a long time. It’s a special talent to see what he does, and the threat to leave the yard is always there.”

Gallo kept the momentum going one inning later when he lined a 93.3 mph Keller fastball into right field for a head-first sliding double -- his first since July 26, 2023. His seventh-inning single off southpaw Josh Fleming concluded a 3-for-4 evening with one run, one RBI and one strikeout -- a triple shy of the cycle.

Wednesday marked Gallo’s first multiple extra-base hit game since Aug. 12 of last season, and the 39th such game of his 10-year career.

“He gives us that power bat that can drive in runs for us in the middle of the lineup, and then our lineup becomes explosive,” Martinez said.

The Nationals signed Gallo this winter to a one-year deal worth $5 million that also includes $1 million in performance bonuses. He is looking to establish offensive consistency this season in Washington after he hit 21 home runs but compiled a .177 batting average in 2023 with Minnesota. His last season hitting over .200 came in 2019.

“The beginning of the year, you want to start off really well. So if you don’t, it is kind of a battle,” Gallo said. “But you just stick with it and not get too down if you’re 0-for-whatever. But we’ve got great coaches and we’ve got great guys around the clubhouse that pick everybody up. I didn’t really feel like I was slumping or anything, I just felt like things didn’t go right for me. I was working in the cage to get right and it paid off today.”

Gallo has been putting in time with the Nationals’ coaches to simplify his swing and avoid lifting the ball. He describes his swing as having a “natural uppercut,” and he has been making adjustments accordingly.

“He stayed on the ball well today,” said Martinez. “He wasn’t really trying to do too much. He was just trying to stay on top of the baseball and drive the ball in the middle of the field. He had a really good day.”

Gallo’s emphasis after the game was the importance of helping the Nats earn the win, their first of the season at Nationals Park. As a veteran leader of a developing club, he hopes his performance sparks not only himself but the entire squad that has been supporting him.

“Sometimes it takes one swing or one game to just kind of feel something and get that confidence going, and then things just go from there,” Gallo said. “... We had a very good day offensively, I thought, against a very good pitcher and a really good team. We’ve just got to keep that going and just keep riding that out as long as we can.”