Four of the first five pitches Brad Hand threw on Saturday were balls, as he walked the New York Yankees’ leadoff hitter, DJ LeMahieu, in the first at bat of the ninth. LeMahieu did come around to score the tying run eventually, but Hand, who took the mound up 2-1, and blew a save for the first time this season, managed to keep it tied at the end of a 24-pitch frame.
With a left-handed hitter due up first in the tenth, and the visiting team in Yankee Stadium up by a run again, skipper Davey Martinez decided to send Hand back out to face Yankees’ first baseman Mike Ford, who singled on a 3-1 fastball from the Nationals’ closer to drive in the tying run, bringing the free runner in from second base.