The Washington Nationals haven’t done a whole lot of winning this season but the team boasts some exciting potential. The Nationals have one of the youngest rosters in the majors. And while that hasn’t translated to wins, the future looks bright in Washington. The Nationals have provided some incredible highlight reel plays in 2025. And Jacob Young delivered another gem against the Detroit Tigers Wednesday.

The Nationals’ second-year center fielder tracked a deep shot off the bat of Riley Greene before climbing the wall and reaching over the fence to rob the Tigers of a home run.

Facing Nationals reliever Kyle Finnegan with one out and the bases empty in the ninth inning of a 9-4 game, Greene battled with his team down five runs. He worked the count full in a 10-pitch at-bat before crushing a 96 mph fastball deep to center field.

Jacob Young continues to dominate defensively for the Nationals

Jul 3, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals center fielder Jacob Young (30) slides to make a catch in the outfield against the New York Mets during the seventh inning at Nationals Park.
Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

It appeared as if Greene made it a 9-5 game with his 22nd home run of the season. But Young had a bead on the ball right off the bat. He drifted back to the warning track, keeping his eye on the towering fly, before propelling himself up the wall and making a sensational catch.

The Nationals would hold on for the 9-4 win in Game 2 of a doubleheader Wednesday. Washington bounced back from a blowout in the earlier contest – a makeup game from Tuesday’s rainout – losing 11-2 to the Tigers.

Young performed well in his rookie season last year, making MLB history as the first player in 110 years with nine runs and six stolen bases in a single series. Despite a lack of production at the plate, Young earned 2.8 bWAR in 2024 primarily on the strength of his defense. And he once again flashed some serious leather against Detroit.

As you would expect from a young squad, Washington has been inconsistent this season. After getting shut out by the Padres last week, the Nationals scored 15 runs in a win against the Angels the very next game. While the team is just 36-50 and 14.5 games back in the NL East after the win over the Tigers, there’s reason for optimism in Washington.

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