SI

Braves-Nationals Game Got Off to Weirdest Start Thanks to a Flying Bat

Andy Nesbitt

The Braves-Nationals game had a slight delay after the first pitch on Saturday thanks to a bat getting stuck in the net.
The Braves-Nationals game had a slight delay after the first pitch on Saturday thanks to a bat getting stuck in the net. /
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If you watch enough baseball games, chances are at times you'll see some things happen that you've never seen before. It's a beautiful sport, after all, but it can also get weird at times.

Speaking of weird, Saturday's Atlanta Braves-Washington Nationals game got off to a strange start when it was briefly delayed after the first pitch so they could pull a hitter's bat out of the net above Atlanta's dugout.

For real, that happened.

In case you missed it, Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies lost control of his bat after swinging and missing on the first pitch and it ended up getting stuck in the net. Washington's mascot tried to help out before a stadium employee was finally able to get the bat free, allowing the game to resume.

Here's that bizarre scene:

A beautiful game, indeed.

The Nationals went on to get a 7-3 win.

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Andy Nesbitt
ANDY NESBITT

Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.