WASHINGTON -- Austin Dean sat at his locker in the visiting team's clubhouse at Nationals Park on Friday night after the Marlins' 8-2 loss to the Nationals, scrolling through congratulatory messages on his phone when reporters approached him for an interview.
Dean was so captivated by those notes that he didn't notice the media scrum until a teammate called for him.
While the mood in the Marlins' clubhouse was dim after their sixth consecutive loss, Dean couldn't help but smile when discussing his first Major League hit, which sailed over the left-field wall for a homer in the seventh inning.

Dean served as a ray of hope for the young team's future on Friday.
"I still can't fathom it, honestly," Dean said. "I'm pretty sure, like everybody when they get called up, they dream about it. It's a pretty surreal moment. I'm still kind of trying to process it."
The Marlins called up Dean, the club's No. 27 prospect per MLB Pipeline, on Wednesday after the 24-year-old slashed .345/.410/.511 with 12 home runs and 68 RBIs between Triple-A New Orleans and Double-A Jacksonville this season.

Dean was a candidate to be recalled in September, but with Martin Prado (left quad strain), Garrett Cooper (right wrist sprain) and Lewis Brinson (right hip inflammation) on the disabled list, the Marlins needed outfield and offensive help. At some point before November, Miami would've had to put Dean on its 40-man roster or risk losing him in the Rule 5 Draft.
The Marlins made room for Dean by trading Odrisamer Despaigne to the Angels for cash considerations Tuesday.
Dean was 0-for-3 in his Major League debut Wednesday against the Braves and went 0-for-2 before his homer off right-hander Trevor Gott on Friday.
Players in the Marlins' dugout waved their arms toward the crowd after Dean's homer, wanting to retrieve the ball so he could keep it as a memento.
A few seconds after the 395-foot dinger, a fan threw the ball onto the field, and it made its way to Miami's dugout.
Dean, a 2012 fourth-round pick out of high school, embraced John Holaday, one of his best friends, with a hug in the dugout. Dean's parents and girlfriend celebrated from the stands.
"I try not to cry," Dean said. "It's emotional. Obviously it's my family and everybody, they know how long it took me to get here and just the journey we've all spent together. To actually share that moment with them, it's unreal. It's probably one of the best moments of my life."
Brian Anderson moved to third base after Dean's arrival, so the Marlins are rotating four outfielders.
Dean could be seeing more time in the lineup, especially after Marlins manager Don Mattingly criticized center fielder Magneuris Sierra, who is hitting .169, for his effort throwing the ball into the infield on a Bryce Harper double in the fifth inning.
"The Harper ball, [Sierra is] assuming that he's not gonna run," said Mattingly. "There's no way in the world that guy should ever go to second base on that ball if you come get it and just throw it in. We did talk with Mags after the game. He's got to be aggressive."

The Marlins are averaging 2.3 runs per game in August, and Dean will likely remain in the lineup as a potential power bat.
"The ball jumps off his bat," Mattingly said. "He's short to the ball, so he's a guy that has a chance to have success here."
MATTINGLY EJECTED
Mattingly was ejected in the fourth inning for arguing balls and strikes, frustrated with the strike zone home-plate umpire Ben May gave Nationals starter Max Scherzer.
Mattingly stepped to the top of the dugout and yelled at the umpires at the end of the top of the fourth inning when he was tossed.
The Marlins had put runners on first and second with no outs. Anderson then struck out against Scherzer as Rafael Ortega was caught stealing, and Derek Dietrich struck out looking to end the top of the frame.
This is the second time Mattingly has been ejected this season.
"You just get tired of seeing it, honestly," Mattingly said, "and [Scherzer] doesn't need any help."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
After the Nationals scored one run in the second and third innings, Matt Wieters hit a solo homer in the fourth inning before Adam Eaton's double scored Scherzer, who had doubled, later in the frame to give the Nationals a 4-0 lead.
The Marlins have lost five of Dan Straily's six starts against the Nationals since they acquired him before the 2017 season. Straily allowed five runs over six innings on Friday.
"They kind of picked away at him for runs," Mattingly said. "[His performance was] probably a little bit better than it looked."

SOUND SMART
Dean is the 11th Marlins player to homer for his first Major League hit. John Baker was the last to do so on July 10, 2008.
HE SAID IT
"Just watching from in here, it's not fun to watch. It can't be good to watch. You understand if you get beat by somebody, but when you play non-aggressive, when you play scared, when you make mistakes that you shouldn't be making, it's really frustrating to watch that kind of baseball. We should have some pride in what we're doing out there. I think we've showed that through the course of the season for the most part, but here in the recent days, it's just unacceptable what we're watching." -- Mattingly, on his team's effort
UP NEXT
Wei-Yin Chen (4-9, 5.32 ERA) will take the mound when the Marlins play the Nationals at Nationals Park on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. ET. Chen has a 10.27 road ERA compared to a 2.05 ERA at home. The left-hander put together one of his best outings this season when he faced the Nationals on May 26, allowing one run over 7 1/3 innings. Tommy Milone (1-1, 5.24) will start for the Nationals.