Max Scherzer threw the first pitch and fellow All-Star Bryce Harper hit first in the batting order.
What could possibly go wrong Tuesday night for the Nationals?
Not much, as Scherzer posted a league-leading sixth win while giving up just two runs and three hits in 6.1 innings in a 12-4 laugher over the Pittsburgh Pirates on a gorgeous evening at Nationals Park. Scherzer also had an RBI single in the sixth, lifting his batting average to .263.
And Harper, batting leadoff for the first time since 2013, crushed a three-run homer in the fifth to give the Nationals a 5-0 lead.