Yohandy Morales and Jared Simpson both made their MLB debuts for the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night.
As it turns out, they put together a historic combination of events that had only been done once before in baseball history dating back to 1900.
Morales hit a home run in his first career game as part of a big night at the plate for him that earned him plenty of congratulations in the Nationals’ dugout, as pictured above.
Simpson got the pitching win in his first career game, coming on for a solid outing in relief in the middle innings as the Nats took the lead while he was on the bump and held it the rest of the way.
Together, they were only the second set of teammates in 126 years to do that, according to the Nationals’ communication staff. The first pairing was Jeff Baker and Ryan Speier for the Colorado Rockies in 2005.
Per @EliasSports, since 1900, there’s only been two sets of teammates where, each playing in their first career regular season game, one recorded the win and the other hit a home run:
Jared Simpson and Yohandy Morales tonight vs. Atlanta
Colorado’s Jeff Baker and Ryan Speier -…
— Nationals Communications (@NationalsComms) September 2, 2026
It was an impressive win, too, a 9-5 triumph over the high-powered Atlanta Braves.
Morales was 3-for-5, with his homer coming as a solo shot in the third inning. He also doubled and scored two runs.
Simpson pitched three innings out of the bullpen, not giving up a hit. He faced eight hitters, but thanks to a double-play ball, he got nine outs against just those eight hitters, including three strikeouts.
Who Is Yohandy Morales?
Morales, who his teammates at Triple-A Rochester often called “Yo-Yo,” is an intriguing player as someone who has hit very well in the minor leagues.
He’s 24 years old and a former second-round pick out of the University of Miami.
This season with Rochester, he had an .881 OPS that included 19 doubles and 25 home runs in 104 games.
In 2025, he had an .886 OPS at Double-A Harrisburg.
Morales was born and grew up in the Miami area, and he can play both corner infield spots, although he was the DH in his debut.
Still just 24 years old, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Morales could hit his way into the Nats’ future plans.
Who Is Jared Simpson?
Simpson is a 26-year old left-handed pitcher who stands 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds.
He was an eighth-round pick by the Nats in 2023 out of the University of Iowa after having grown up in that state before a three-college journey helped him reach pro ball.
This season, Simpson had a 2.04 ERA in 33 outings at Harrisburg and a 2.84 ERA in 11 outings at Rochester.
He hadn’t pitched above High-A before this season, so it’s been a rapid ascent for Simpson into relevance in the Nationals’ system.
He’s less of an obvious prospect than Morales, but Simpson has gotten outs all year, and as long as he keeps getting outs, he’ll remain in the picture in the nation’s capital.
Washington Nationals Teammates Make MLB History for 2nd Time Since 1900