PHILADELPHIA – The Nationals had not used an opener in years. The Rays, on the other hand, popularized the strategy.
Nationals manager Blake Butera brought his experience from his previous organization to the Nats on Tuesday against the Phillies.
Butera tabbed southpaw reliever PJ Poulin as the opener to start and face a top of the order headlined by Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. The goal was for him to handle business, and then the Nationals would turn to right-handed starting pitcher Zack Littell to take over in the second inning.
“I thought it went exactly how we had hoped,” Butera said. “Couldn’t have been better.”
When Poulin found out Monday night that he would be the opener the next evening, he was “super pumped” to receive that confidence from Butera. Poulin had held the trio 0-for-6 as a rookie last year. He replicated the same success in his one inning of work.
Poulin needed only nine pitches to retire the side and hold off the Phillies' offense in a 3-2 loss.
“Whenever you’re facing guys like Trea Turner, Harper, Schwarber, it gets you fired up inside,” Poulin said. “So the situation is irrelevant, and I’m going to attack them the same way.”
In the leadoff at-bat, Poulin got Turner to swing at the first pitch. Turner softly grounded the 90.5 mph four-seamer toward first base, which Poulin fielded.
Poulin went sinker-sweeper-sinker-sweeper-sweeper to catch Schwarber swinging for the second out.
He then went at Harper with a trio of sweepers, and Harper flied out to right field to end the inning.
Although there are not official records of openers, the last time the Nationals utilized one is widely regarded as July 27, 2019. Lefty reliever Matt Grace started and pitched two innings against the Dodgers before righty starter Joe Ross entered the game in the third and worked 4 2/3 frames.
The Nationals have emphasized roster flexibility, and the opener is an approach they could take again this season.
“That’s part of being a reliever,” said Poulin. “It’s being adaptable, being able to be thrown into a bunch of different situations and do your job.”