WASHINGTON -- Ryan Zimmerman had been stuck on 999 career RBI since April 21, the pursuit of his latest milestone derailed by a lengthy stint on the injured list and by the last eight games, where he has been unable to cash in on his opportunities to drive in runs.

He had been stuck on the precipice of the milestone until the seventh inning Friday night, when Zimmerman put a charge into a run-scoring double down the left-field line, driving in Adam Eaton for the 1,000th RBI of his career. And Zimmerman did not have to wait long to begin adding to that total, driving in another run with an RBI double as part of a game-tying rally in the ninth inning.

Zimmerman collected a career-high three doubles and a pair of RBI on the night, but later he would lament that he did not add more, popping out with runners at the corners and a chance to win the game in extra innings of what ultimately was a 7-4 loss by the Nationals in 11 innings.

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“I’ve been really happy with the at-bats I’ve had,” Zimmerman said. “Obviously frustrated over the at-bat where there’s guys at first and third. I take pride in driving those runs in. It stinks that I couldn’t get it done right there. But a good night for the team, battled back like we’ve been doing all year.”

Zimmerman has plenty of company to lament the number of scoring chances left on the table Friday night, after the Nationals stranded 19 runners on base to spoil a ninth-inning comeback and a wild 10th inning. Washington collected 13 hits and drew 11 walks on the night, but managed just four runs as Kansas City snapped its four-game losing streak. The Nationals finished 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position.

“We just couldn’t get that hit today,” manager Dave Martinez said. “Once again, I’m proud of the boys for fighting. When we were down, we came back and fought. We had our opportunities all night. We just couldn’t capitalize.”

Trailing by two in the ninth inning, Washington erased the deficit against Royals closer Ian Kennedy to force the game into extra innings. An eventful 10tth inning included Fernando Rodney, summoned to pitch for the third straight day, tossing a scoreless top of the inning. Adam Eaton started the bottom of the frame with a single, got balked to second base by Royals left-hander Brian Flynn and bunted to third base by a pinch-hitting Stephen Strasburg.

But Eaton was stranded at third base, even after a pair of walks loaded the bases, as Victor Robles grounded out to end another threat. The Nationals’ offense is a major reason why they have been the hottest team in baseball for the past six weeks, but on Friday night, they missed the chances they have normally been so good at cashing in on.

“We’ve been so good at staying in the middle of the field,” Martinez said. “We had one instance where we just needed a fly ball. A sac fly would have won the game. We just couldn’t do that. You know what? Like I said, they played well.”

More on 1,000 RBI for Zimmerman

Only 289 players in MLB history have ever driven in 1,000 runs and Zimmerman became the 43rd player in MLB history to do so for the same team, dating back to 1920 when RBI became an official statistic.

Zimmerman becomes just the 10th active player who has reached 1,000 career RBI, joining Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, Robinson Cano, Edwin Encarnacion, Ryan Braun, Nelson Cruz, Nick Markakis, Matt Kemp and Brian McCann.

“Obviously a pretty cool milestone to get,” Zimmerman said. “I think I’ve been lucky enough to play for a long time. Really lucky to play for the same team. So to have all those with this uniform on is special to me. It’s something I never really thought about when I came up. I was more of a defensive player. So to get that many RBIs is obviously a big career mark for me. It would’ve been better to get it in a win. But the team fought tonight. It was a great back-and-forth. But a pretty cool accomplishment.”