Garrett goes the distance on pivotal play for Nats

WASHINGTON -- When Stone Garrett was out of the Nationals' lineup for a week, he stayed ready.

Ready to get back onto the field.

Ready to make an impact.

Ready to put the Nationals in a position to stage a late-game comeback.

Ready to bolt home as soon as he saw the ball travel off Lane Thomas’ bat into center field.

“When I got to third, D [third-base coach Gary Disarcina] told me that we’re going to challenge every single one of those outfielders, so I knew we were going,” Garrett said following the Nats’ 7-6 win over the Guardians on Sunday. “He didn’t have to reassure me when the ball was in the air. So it was just, 'See him catch it and go.'”

Washington trailed, 6-5, when Garrett opened the eighth inning with a ground-ball single to right field. He had advanced to third base with one out before Thomas lifted a fly ball into center that was caught by Myles Straw.

There was only one mode for Garrett in that situation: full speed ahead.

The 6-foot-2, 224-pound outfielder dashed toward home, where veteran catcher Mike Zunino was positioned to catch the incoming throw from Straw and apply the tag. Garrett slid. Zunino tried to maintain the Guardians’ lead.

Garrett was initially ruled out. After manager Dave Martinez challenged the call, it was overturned following a review and the game was evened at 6-6.

“Obviously, I’m on the field at that point just to see,” Martinez said. “It was a close play, but for me there was no doubt I wasn’t going to challenge the whole play; it was that close. We had to take a chance. I thought Gary did a great job sending him, Stone had a great jump, ran hard and it was bang-bang. They got the call right.”

Garrett and Zunino shared different perspectives postgame.

“I've never seen it,” said Zunino. “I've done the same thing my whole career. Try to line my toe up down the third-base line to protect my leg and try to play the hop. Myles made a good throw. That put a long hop sort of into the line. I just try to ride it out. I guess with replay, they can really dissect it."

Said Garrett: “I knew he was blocking when I went in; I could see his cleat just over the middle of the plate. And you have the option of just run him over or try to get around his foot. And I tried to get around his foot, I didn’t want to go to run him over and then miss the plate. But I just learned that I would still be safe because he was blocking the plate.”

Garrett had showcased his speed during Spring Training, where he was one of the Nationals' final roster cuts. But on this play, he took it to another level. Garrett went from third to home plate with a sprint speed of 30.2 feet per second (which qualifies as elite), surpassing his season average of 27.7 feet per second.

“He can run a little bit,” Martinez said. “He got back to the base, he was ready, he was on time and, man, he had a great jump and it was awesome.”

It could have been the pregame stretching or even adrenaline, Garrett suggested. Or perhaps, it was just the vibe of his afternoon, in which he went 2-for-4 with two runs and a double in his first game since April 9.

“I just felt good today,” Garrett said.

Garrett was optioned to Triple-A Rochester in late March and called up on April 2 after starting left fielder Corey Dickerson was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left calf strain. He went 1-for-2 in a home game on April 5 and then broke out for a career day on April 8 in Colorado, going 4-for-5 with a home run and five RBIs. Garrett mashed his way to a .583 batting average in three games, but matchups created a challenge for Martinez to find playing time for Garrett, starting right fielder Thomas and backup outfielder Alex Call -- as each player bats right-handed.

Martinez thought Sunday would be a good matchup against Shane Bieber and the Guardians, and he gave Garrett the nod. Between Garrett’s performance and strong defensive plays made by Call and Thomas, Martinez has plenty to consider before penciling in Tuesday’s lineup against the Orioles.

“I’ve got a lot of homework to do tomorrow,” Martinez said with a laugh.