Nationals pitchers threw their first live batting practice of the Spring today, including a group on the Stadium field at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches.
Manager Blake Butera expressed his excitement for getting onto the stadium field for the first time.
"I think anytime you can get in the stadium is nice, right? Whether it be live BPs, whether it be workout days, and we share a stadium, obviously, with Houston. But yeah, the fact that we could use that for live BPs more, we can get our pitchers and hitters in a stadium environment, the better. We have tracking information that we're able to get from the stadium as well. So anytime we're able to get out there, we will."
Right-handed pitcher Brad Lord was the first to toe the rubber at the ballpark and enjoyed having a more game-like atmosphere.
“It was awesome. It’s awesome to simulate the game atmosphere, get the adrenaline going. It’s great,” said Lord, who completed his rookie campaign in 2025. “You’re in the stadium, you've got the stands around you, the big scoreboard, so it feels a little more like you’re already in a game.”
When asked out how Lord looked in his first live batting practice session of the Spring, Butera offered a short, but effective answer: "I'm glad I'm not a hitter anymore."
Friday’s live BP was broken down into the following:
Stadium Group – Brad Lord, Tyler Baum, P.J. Poulin and Eddy Yean
Field 2 Group - Jake Irvin, Mitchell Parker, Ken Waldichuk, Paxton Schultz, Orlando Ribalta