Washington Nationals Rookie James Wood Blasts 2 Home Runs, Makes Franchise History

James Wood powered the Washington Nationals to victory with two towering home runs, joining Juan Soto, Bryce Harper and Gary Carter in the franchise history books.

Sep 15, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder James Wood (center) celebrates his second home run of the game by posing with second baseman Ildemaro Vargas (left) and first baseman Juan Yepez (right) by posing for a photo against the Miami Marlins during the eighth inning at Nationals Park. / Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

The Washington Nationals and Miami Marlins, both eliminated from postseason contention, closed out their weekend series in explosive fashion on Sunday.

The two teams combined for three home runs on the afternoon, all of which went over 400 feet. Two of them belonged to rookie left fielder James Wood, who powered the Nationals to a 4-3 victory with his pair of bombs.

Wood put Washington on top 3-1 in the fifth, crushing a 435-foot solo shot to center. He doubled down in the eighth with a 426-foot homer to left-center that made it 4-2.

The 6-foot-7, 234-pound slugger did all that just two days before his 22nd birthday, making history in the process.

According to MLB.com's Sarah Langs, Wood became the fifth player in Nationals and Expos franchise history to record a multi-home runs game aged 21 or younger.

Juan Soto did so seven times and Bryce Harper did it five times, leading the pack as two of the club's most heralded hitters. Luis García Jr. also did it in 2021, while Gary Carter was the only Expo ever to achieve the feat.

James Wood is the 5th player in Nationals/Expos franchise history with a multi-HR game before turning 22, joining:

Juan Soto (7)
Bryce Harper (5)
Luis García Jr.
Gary Carter https://t.co/KIlt0pdbOy

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) September 15, 2024

With three of his four predecessors standing out as Hall of Fame-level players, that's quite the company for Wood to join just a few months into his big league career.

Wood is batting .273 with seven home runs, 36 RBI, 12 stolen bases, a .793 OPS and a 1.4 WAR since making his MLB debut on July 1. The former top prospect was part of the package the San Diego Padres sent to Washington in exchange for Soto back in 2022, alongside All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams and left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore, who got the win Sunday.

So with nothing tangible left to play for in 2024, the Nationals' youth movement has officially taken center stage, if it hadn't already.

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