WASHINGTON – James Wood slid into the Major League record books on Saturday afternoon at Nationals Park.
Wood stole his 20th base of the season in the second inning against the Angels, reaching the 30 home run-20 stolen base milestone in the Nationals’ 6-5, 10-inning walk-off win.
CJ Abrams also achieved that mark last weekend against the Dodgers, making him and Wood the 11th pair of teammates in Major League history to record 30 homers and 20 stolen bases in the same season.
“The athleticism – they’re both dynamic players and bring so much to the table outside of when they’re in the batter’s box,” said manager Blake Butera. “I think, honestly, our job is just to set them free and let them go play and do what they do best. … They’re both total-package players, and I’m lucky just to be able to sit there and watch them do their thing. I’m happy they’re on our team.”
Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto most recently accomplished the feat last year with the Mets. Here is the complete list of duos:
- 2025 Mets: Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto
- 2018 Cleveland: Lindor, José Ramírez
- 2009 Phillies: Chase Utley, Jayson Werth
- 2009 Rangers: Nelson Cruz, Ian Kinsler
- 2007 Mets: Carlos Beltrán, David Wright
- 1998 and 1999 Mariners: Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez
- 1998 Blue Jays: José Canseco, Shawn Green
- 1996 Rockies: Dante Bichette, Ellis Burks
- 1987 Mets: Howard Johnson, Darryl Strawberry
Of this select group, Abrams (25) and Wood (23) are only the second pair to achieve the feat at age 25 or younger, along with Ramírez (25) and Lindor (24) in 2018.
“Being able to hit it over the fence, James, you can see, has a lot of power. But he’s also stealing bags and getting to the next base,” said Abrams. “Always getting that extra 90 [feet] is big. Whenever we can, we take advantage, and that helps us win games.”
Wood credited first-year first-base coach Corey Ray for providing him with information that has made him successful on the basepaths.
“It’s definitely been a goal, trying to get as many bags as possible,” said Wood. “Corey’s been really good over there, giving us a good game plan and letting us know a good situation to run.”
Echoed Abrams, “[Ray helps us] be more observant of the game. While we’re playing, you can see what patterns they fall into and stuff like that. Picking his brain every day about stuff he sees is good.”
It had been two decades since a Nationals player recorded a 30-20 season. Abrams and Wood joined Alfonso Soriano (2006) as the only players in team history (2005-present) to do so. Soriano reached the coveted 40-40 mark 20 years ago.
Wood stole two bases on Saturday. Abrams was 1-for-2 on stolen base attempts, including a critical steal of third base in the 10th to then score the game-winning run. Butera had given Abrams the green light to run if he got a good jump and had an opportunity to advance.
“Him stealing third base there, that’s what great players do,” said Butera. “That was unbelievable by him. He allowed us to win that game today by doing that.”
In spite of missing 27 games because of a left oblique strain last month, Wood has already stolen six more bases than he did last season. He is also one homer shy of tying his career-best total of 31, set last season. Next milestone: the 30-30 mark.
“I just want to get as many [stolen bases] as I can get,” Wood said. “We’ll see what that is.”