WASHINGTON -- Home runs often are noted for the distances they travel and the velocities at which they soar.

When CJ Abrams saw a fastball from Giants right-hander Hayden Birdsong up in the zone -- as in, really up, up in the zone -- he made his mark on a homer with a different measurement.

Abrams connected on the highest pitch hit for a home run this season -- 4.42 feet -- with a three-run blast during the Nationals¡¯ the Nationals¡¯ 11-5 win over the Giants on Tuesday at Nationals Park.

¡°I knew I got it,¡± Abrams said, pausing, ¡°But I don¡¯t know if I should have swung.¡±

The height of the pitch surpassed the 4.21-foot mark set by Giants third baseman Matt Chapman against Rays catcher Ben Rortvedt on April 13.

¡°I have no idea how he hit that ball,¡± said Birdsong. ¡°Good for him. Guy can hit. They can hit fastballs, and I learned that. I knew that going in, but not very many people are hitting that ball. It was impressive.¡±

Abrams opened the second-inning at-bat by taking ball one in the dirt. He was called looking at a curveball down the middle and fouled off the next three pitches. Down 1-2, he had a plan.

¡°I had two strikes on me, I didn¡¯t want to get beat by the fastball,¡± said Abrams. ¡°I got a fastball, tried to get on top and I hit it. Hands to ball, hit the ball.¡±

The pitch Abrams hit also was the seventh-highest hit for a homer since pitch tracking began in 2008. On June 12, 2022, Kyle Higashioka hit a home run off first baseman Frank Schwindel at 4.61 feet to top the list. When tracking homers hit off non-position players, the most recent to best Abrams was Colin Moran, who connected on a pitch height of 4.45 feet off Matt Harvey on May 22, 2018.

¡°I still don¡¯t really believe it,¡± said 6-foot-7 outfielder James Wood with a laugh. ¡°It was crazy.¡±

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Abrams set a Nationals team milestone (2005-present) under pitch tracking, too. He surpassed Kyle Schwarber (4.19 feet; June 13, 2021), Bryce Harper (4.16 feet; Aug. 24, 2014) and Michael A. Taylor (4.06 feet; Oct. 12, 2017). Like Abrams, Schwarber and Harper hit those home runs against the Giants.

¡°It¡¯s CJ,¡± said starting left-hander MacKenzie Gore. ¡°There¡¯s not really anything CJ does that surprises me, I would say. Hopefully, he doesn¡¯t try to keep hitting balls like that out. But he did that one, and it was fun to watch.¡±

Abrams hit his 17th home run of the season, one shy of tying his career high. After watching a replay of the homer and realizing the pitch height, Abrams said, ¡°I was confused on why I swung, but I was happy I did at the same time.¡±

Abrams went 2-for-5 with three RBIs on the night, his first multi-hit game since July 20. Following his first All-Star appearance, he had hit .152 with just three walks in the second half of the season.

¡°I just sat there and laughed, I really did,¡± said manager Dave Martinez. ¡°The kid¡¯s so talented. He stays in there and he hangs in there and when he gets a pitch like that and he puts a swing like he did on it, it¡¯s a wow. It really is.

¡°But he¡¯s that good. His hands are so quick. That¡¯s why we keep trying to tell him that you don¡¯t have to try to pull the ball. You just need to stay in the middle of the field and you¡¯re going to be just fine.¡±

Abrams¡¯ home run was part of a total team offensive effort. Keibert Ruiz and James Wood also homered; Ruiz, Wood, Alex Call, Juan Yepez and Ildemaro Vargas tallied multiple hits; and Call, Wood and Travis Blankenhorn joined Abrams with multiple RBIs.

¡°Don¡¯t panic,¡± said Abrams. ¡°They put four up early, but we can¡¯t lay down. We just swing the bats like we did, and good things happen.¡±