Gallo breaks out, hits first HR with Nats in win over Pittsburgh
WASHINGTON ¨C Joey Gallo was efficient in checking off season firsts.
Gallo belted his first hit -- a towering home run -- and double of 2024 in Wednesday¡¯s 5-3 win over the Pirates at Nationals Park. He snapped an 0-for-12 skid to start his inaugural season with the Nats.
¡°It always feels good to square a ball up and hit a ball over the fence, for sure,¡± the first baseman said. ¡°It just feels good to help the team win; you feel like you¡¯re contributing.¡±
Gallo¡¯s lead-off blast in the second inning off a cutter from right-hander Mitch Keller soared 447 feet to right-center field. It was the Nats' longest-hit homer since Juan Soto pummeled one 451 feet on April 12, 2022. Traveling out of Nationals Park at 109 miles per hour, Gallo¡¯s dinger had an expected batting average (xBA) of 1.000.
¡°He hit it, and I just dropped my head and I was like, ¡®Yes!¡¯¡± said manager Dave Martinez. ¡°I didn¡¯t see how far it went or anything. It was like, ¡®Alright!¡¯ That¡¯s a good start. It was awesome. He¡¯s hit a lot in his career; I¡¯m glad he got the first one out of the way for us.¡±
The solo homer sparked a four-run inning that claimed an early lead for the Nats and provided a cushion for the pitching staff.
¡°I¡¯m really glad that we¡¯re on the same team together,¡± starter Trevor Williams said. ¡°I¡¯m really glad that he¡¯s hitting home runs and coming back to our dugout instead of the other dugout. He¡¯s been doing it for a long time. It¡¯s a special talent to see what he does, and the threat to leave the yard is always there.¡±
Gallo kept the momentum going one inning later when he lined a 93.3 mph Keller fastball into right field for a head-first sliding double -- his first since July 26, 2023. His seventh-inning single off southpaw Josh Fleming concluded a 3-for-4 evening with one run, one RBI and one strikeout -- a triple shy of the cycle.
Wednesday marked Gallo¡¯s first multiple extra-base hit game since Aug. 12 of last season, and the 39th such game of his 10-year career.
¡°He gives us that power bat that can drive in runs for us in the middle of the lineup, and then our lineup becomes explosive,¡± Martinez said.
The Nationals signed Gallo this winter to a one-year deal worth $5 million that also includes $1 million in performance bonuses. He is looking to establish offensive consistency this season in Washington after he hit 21 home runs but compiled a .177 batting average in 2023 with Minnesota. His last season hitting over .200 came in 2019.
¡°The beginning of the year, you want to start off really well. So if you don¡¯t, it is kind of a battle,¡± Gallo said. ¡°But you just stick with it and not get too down if you¡¯re 0-for-whatever. But we¡¯ve got great coaches and we¡¯ve got great guys around the clubhouse that pick everybody up. I didn¡¯t really feel like I was slumping or anything, I just felt like things didn¡¯t go right for me. I was working in the cage to get right and it paid off today.¡±
Gallo has been putting in time with the Nationals¡¯ coaches to simplify his swing and avoid lifting the ball. He describes his swing as having a ¡°natural uppercut,¡± and he has been making adjustments accordingly.
¡°He stayed on the ball well today,¡± said Martinez. ¡°He wasn¡¯t really trying to do too much. He was just trying to stay on top of the baseball and drive the ball in the middle of the field. He had a really good day.¡±
Gallo¡¯s emphasis after the game was the importance of helping the Nats earn the win, their first of the season at Nationals Park. As a veteran leader of a developing club, he hopes his performance sparks not only himself but the entire squad that has been supporting him.
¡°Sometimes it takes one swing or one game to just kind of feel something and get that confidence going, and then things just go from there,¡± Gallo said. ¡°... We had a very good day offensively, I thought, against a very good pitcher and a really good team. We¡¯ve just got to keep that going and just keep riding that out as long as we can.¡±