The Rockies win out after a rules-loaded pitch clock violation

DENVER — Ryan McMahon drew a bases-loaded walk on a full count and a pitch clock violation by Kyle Finnegan as the Colorado Rockies scored two runs in the ninth inning to earn an 8-7 victory over the Washington Nationals on Saturday night.

This was the first game to be decided by a pitch clock violation in major league history. Citizens closer Finnegan leads the league with nine clock violations this season.

“I’m just trying to focus on the field and then the position,” Finnegan said. “I thought I picked up the clock. I think by the time I picked up the ball and looked at the catcher and threw the ball, I was way behind. Those situations, they can’t happen. We deserved to win.” “I couldn’t do my job.”

Colorado had four straight singles to open the ninth off Finnegan (2-4) to bring up McMahon, who trailed 0-2. Hunter Goodman and Jake Cave opened the inning, and Brenton Doyle singled to tie it after a two-try error. Ezequiel Tovar hit a line drive single to right to load the bases. Finnegan has converted 21 of his previous 23 chances.

“You hate to see a match decided this way, but I’m glad it went our way,” McMahon said. “I never look [at the clock]. I’ll let the referee do his job. “I didn’t know what was happening until the referee said something.”

The pitch clock was adopted in 2023, but the time between pitches with runners on base was shortened from 20 seconds to 18 this season.

“Kyle has had some issues recently with the clock,” Washington manager Dave Martinez said. “It hasn’t really cost him to that point, but it’s something we felt might come back to haunt him at some point. He could have stepped down, but it’s a difficult situation.”

“That’s something he has to keep in mind. He’s just slow. So he burned it today. Normally he wouldn’t burn it.”

Luis Garcia hit a two-run homer to give Washington a 7-5 lead in the eighth inning, and C.J. Abrams had three hits including a 12th-run home run. The Nationals won 10 of 13.

Abrams finished three short of the cycle while extending his hitting streak to 13 games. He had two RBIs and scored two runs.

Brendan Rodgers, Goodman and McMahon returned for the Rockies, who connected with Goodman’s seventh-inning homer off Jacob Barnes. Goodman has five homers in the past eight games. McMahon had three hits, and a walk-off homer in the eighth inning brought the Rockies within a run, 7-6.

“The Rockies and the Nationals are a part of history,” Colorado manager Bud Black said. “What about that?”

Tovar had two hits, two walks and two runs. He scored on catcher Jacob Stallings’ single in the first inning and on Rodgers’ three-run homer for a 4-2 lead in the third. Rodgers played his first game since June 7 when he suffered a hamstring injury. He cleaned up for the eighth time this season.

Abrams and Lane Thomas scored for a 5-4 lead in the seventh, but the Nationals ran out of more when Abrams and Thomas were ejected while trying to steal second. Thomas had two hits.

The Nationals rank third in the major leagues with 104 stolen bases but have been thrown out a league-high 38 times. Stallings threw out three of the four Nationals runners who attempted to steal, all in second place.

“The expulsion will not prevent us from being aggressive on the base paths,” Abrams said. “We will continue to do what we are doing.”

Nationals shortstop Mitchell Parker gave up four runs and six hits while striking out eight, including the last five he faced. He had not given up more than three earned runs in any of his previous 12 starts.

Colorado starter Cal Quantrill gave up three runs and seven hits in six innings in his ninth start. He exited with a 4-3 margin.

Washington left fielder Jesse Winker was ejected by plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt after receiving the required third strike for the second time in the fifth inning. Winker argued briefly with Wendelstedt at the plate and was ejected after entering the dugout, his sixth career ejection.

Trainer room

Rockies: RHP Jake Bird (groin tightness) was removed from the game after facing three hits in the seventh inning. … RF Sean Bouchard (back soreness) was replaced after three innings. … RHP German Marquez (Tommy John surgery) gave up one hit in four scoreless innings in his Class A Spokane rehab start on Saturday. He struck out three, walked two and threw 50 pitches.

the next

Colorado LHP Kyle Freeland (0-3, 13.21 ERA) is expected to be activated from the injured list to make his fifth start on Sunday, and his first since April 14, after missing nine weeks with a left elbow strain. He will oppose Nationals RHP Jake Irvin (5-6, 3.24).