WEST PALM BEACH, FL - Today, the Nationals hosted divisional rivals the New York Mets at West Palm Beach and defeated the New York Mets 11-6.

Today’s game featured the debut of left-handed pitcher Japanese Pitcher Shinnosuke Ogasawara, who went one inning with no runs, one hit, no errors, no strikeouts, eight pitches, and three balls, and he threw five total strikes.

In his first Grapefruit League appearance, pitcher Ogasawara's outing was brief, lasting only eight pitches. Known for his strike-throwing ability, he lived up to his reputation, never throwing more than three pitches to any of the four Mets batters he faced, which included Tyrone Taylor, Francisco Alvarez, former Washington Nationals outfielder Jesse Winker, and Luis De Los Santos. Winker was the only one who could hit off Ogasawara as he hit a double to the opposite field on a first-pitch fastball.

While Ogasawara threw strikes, the Mets hitters did make some solid contact as Taylor hit a ball to the warning track in left-center, Francisco Alvarez lined out to center, and only Luis De Los Santos grounded out to first base.

Manager Davey Martinez commented, after the game, about what's observed from Ogasawara: "We want him to pitch as he did in Japan. It will take some adjustment. We’ve been emphasizing that he’s very good at throwing strikes, and we don’t want him to change that."

Martinez has been praising Ogasawara over the first couple of weeks of how the Japanese lefty has adapted to Major League Baseball, which included using the rosin, understanding the pitch clock, and the weight of the baseball. In a press conference on February 14th, Martinez noted that "He [Ogasawara] just wants to fit in, you know, he wants to be one of the guys, and we appreciate that."

Also on the mound, Washington Nationals prospect pitcher Brad Lord pitched two impressive innings this afternoon in his 2025 Spring Training debut. Lord was brought in the top of the fourth and only threw seven pitches in an impressive 1-2-3. In the top of the fifth, Lord continued to impress as he gave up only two hits, induced a double play to end the inning and the threat and only faced eight batters. RHP Jackson Rutledge seemed to struggle in his first Spring Training outing, giving up four walks, which turned into two of the six runs the Mets would score. Rutledge did finish his inning of work by striking out Mets Wyatt Young.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Nationals broke out of the gate by putting up five runs and drove the New York Mets starting pitcher Ty Adcock from the game. The Nationals scored five runs thanks to a combination of strong at-bats and some help from the Mets. Their scoring drive included three walks on full counts (by Dylan Crews, Nathaniel Lowe, and Riley Adams), three singles (from Josh Bell, Paul DeJong, and Luis García Jr.), a sacrifice fly by Stone Garrett, and a crucial two-run error by Mets pitcher T.J. Shook. Shook's errant throw to first base after a routine comebacker extended the inning and allowed the Nationals to capitalize. The Nationals finished the game by scoring 11 runs on 13 hits.

Robert Hassell III also provided some additional power at the plate this afternoon and impressive defense in the outfield. Hassell III finished the game going 2-3. Hassell III has put up some impressive numbers in his two games by going 3-6 with three RBI, two extra-base hits, and one stolen base. He also had an impressive catch in the outfield today in the top of the sixth robbing Wyatt Young with a hit.

Up next:

The Nationals have the day off tomorrow and will return to spring training game action on Tuesday afternoon as they visit the Miami Marlins at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, FL, with the first pitch scheduled at 1:10 p.m.