WASHINGTON -- Brian Goodwin sent the Nationals' dugout into a frenzy as he collected his first career Major League hit Wednesday with a one-out single in the eighth inning of a 7-4 victory against the Indians.
Goodwin called getting the hit a relief after going hitless in his first five at-bats since he was promoted from Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday, although he had hit a few balls hard with nothing to show for it.
"It was amazing, I think a lot of them were more excited than I was," Goodwin said. "But those guys just rallied around me and supported me. They were positive with me the whole time, everybody was ecstatic."
Goodwin, who was selected 34th overall by the Nats in the 2011 Draft, was promoted to the Majors for the first time on Saturday after a wrist injury forced Ryan Zimmerman to the disabled list. He made his first Major League start Wednesday after Bryce Harper missed his third consecutive game with a stiff neck.
After Goodwin's single, Max Scherzer and catcher Pedro Severino hung on the railings of the dugout to cheer the rookie on. When the ball was tossed toward the team's dugout, Severino grabbed it and pump faked into the stands as Scherzer let another ball fly into the crowd.
But Goodwin had secured the real ball in the Nationals' clubhouse after the game.
"My mom's outside," he said. "So I assume I won't have it much longer."