Nationals Park moves its clock up Saturday, with the Washington Nationals shifting the second game of their season-ending three-game series against the New York Mets from 4:05 p.m. to 12:35 p.m. ET because of rain in the forecast connected to the major nor’easter expected to drench the New England and New York areas, and extend down the Atlantic coast.
The earlier window also sets up left-hander Connelly Early, who takes the mound for his long-delayed Nationals debut in the penultimate game of a season with nothing left to decide for either ball club.
Nationals Move Up First Pitch For Connelly Early’s Debut
The Nationals confirmed the schedule shift late Friday night, pushing Saturday’s first pitch more than three hours ahead of its original slot at Nationals Park.
“Due to forecasted inclement weather, tomorrow’s game time has been moved up to 12:35 p.m. as a precautionary measure,” the team said in the post.
Sunday’s regular-season finale still starts at 3:05 p.m. ET, untouched by the storm — at least so far.
Washington is looking at a 55 percent chance of rain settling in Saturday afternoon, with a high near 71 degrees and steady breezes out of the north-northwest around 13 mph, according to AccuWeather. This isn’t a postponement — it’s a race to get nine innings in before the wetter stretch of the day arrives.
Nationals, Mets Play for Little but Pride
Neither team has anything riding on the standings. New York is 73-86, fifth in the National League East, two games behind Washington at 75-84, and 20 games behind the NL East-winning Atlanta Braves. The Mets need to win both remaining games to pull even with Washington and spare the club its lowest full-season win total since 2017, according to Reuters.
Jonah Tong starts Saturday, giving New York another look at its prized young rotation arm before the offseason. Rookies Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing get more everyday reps, and manager Andy Green has said several young starters could pitch higher in next year’s rotation. Juan Soto is still chasing a 30th home run.
Washington already owns its highest win total since a 93-win season in 2019 and has gone 7-3 over its last 10 games. Manager Blake Butera has framed the closing stretch as evidence of progress heading into next year. The Nationals also want more at-bats for CJ Abrams (33 home runs) and James Wood (30), plus outfielder Daylen Lile.
None of that matters as much Saturday as what happens on the mound. Washington acquired Early from Boston in a July 26 trade for infielder Curtis Mead, according to MLB.com. He hasn’t pitched in the majors since late June, sidelined first by elbow inflammation and later by forearm tightness during a long rehab climb. He was 7-5 with a 3.44 ERA in 17 starts for the Red Sox before the injury.
He isn’t expected to go deep into the game. Washington plans to use Early for two to three innings before turning things over to Jake Irvin in a bulk relief role. Nationals president of baseball operations Paul Toboni had circled Saturday’s date for Early’s debut weeks in advance, according to Washington Nationals On SI, even after a rocky final rehab tuneup left him searching for consistency.
Sunday brings more of the same. Breezy morning skies give way to a mostly cloudy afternoon, with highs near 66 degrees and another 55 percent chance of rain, according to AccuWeather. Field conditions left over from Saturday’s showers could factor into how the finale plays. Local listings remain split across regional outlets, so fans should confirm coverage before either first pitch.
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