Nationals Ace Continues To Shine Despite Team's Overall Struggles

One of the biggest stories for the Washington Nationals this season has been the emergence of former top prospect MacKenzie Gore as the dominant ace the team has been looking for in recent years.

The lefty had shown flashes of his immense potential over his first three seasons in the big leagues, but he has finally put it all together in 2025, taking the National League by storm in the process.

It seems like every outing Gore finds new ways to wow with his dominance on the mound, even if the team around him is still struggling to put things all together.

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His most recent start on Tuesday night served as yet another prime example of this, as Gore was once again masterful in the Nationals' 5-4 loss against the New York Mets.

Gore tossed six innings of two-run, six-strikeout ball against the Mets and left the game in the hands of Washington's bullpen with a comfortable 4-2 lead. Unfortunately for Gore, his latest gem of a start went to waste as New York rallied for an extra-innings walk-off win.

This continues the trend of Gore's excellence being wasted by the team's shortcomings.

The 26-year-old flamethrower ranks top five in the National League in quality starts (9) but only has a 3-5 record to show for it.

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He's also the current NL leader in K/9 (12.61), total strikeouts (114) and ranks top five in most other advanced metrics.

Simply put, Gore has been one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball this season for a team that isn't close to being as good as he is.

Luckily for Gore, though, the modern age of baseball doesn't place nearly as much blame on the shoulders of a pitcher for a team's shortcomings like in previous eras.

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This means that even though Washington isn't an elite team, their ace is still getting the recognition he deserves.

The Nationals may still be a couple of years away from truly competing, but that won't stop Gore from chasing down individual greatness this season. If he continues to perform at his current level down the stretch, then an NL Cy Young Award could very well be adorning his locker come winter.

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