Washington Nationals relief pitcher PJ Poulin (50) pitches in the eleventh inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Nationals Rookie Pitchers Claim Career Firsts in Extra Innings Win over Mets

Originally posted on Washington Nationals on SI
By Matt Postins | Last updated Sep 21, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The headline after the Washington Nationals’ 5-3, 11-inning win over the New York Mets on Saturday was Daylen Lile’s inside-the-park home run.

But it overshadowed a career first for two pitchers that made appearances in the game — Sauryn Lao and PJ Poulin. Lao claimed his first Major League win while Poulin claimed his first Major League save.

Lao entered the game in the 10th inning after closer Jose Ferrer blew a save by allowing a run in the eighth inning and two runs in the ninth inning as Washington tried to get a two-inning save out of their young closer.

That meant the Nats had to hand the ball to someone in the 10th inning. Lao drew the ball, pitching a scoreless inning and giving up just one hit. Neither team scored in the 10th, so the game remained tied at 3-3.

After Lile’s inside-the-park home run gave the Nats a two-run lead, Poulin came into the game to record the save. He retired the side in order and struck out one hitter.

Milestone Nights for Lao, Poulin

PJ's debut was special ❤️

289 games (and 7 seasons) in the minors into a shutout MLB relief outing for @pjpoulin. pic.twitter.com/MDMzUyzFeg
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 6, 2025

Neither rookie started the season with the Nationals. Lao, a 26-year-old right-hander out of the Dominican Republic, was in the Mariners organization to start the season. He is in his third professional season, and he spent the season on a yo-yo with Seattle after his contract was selected for the first time on April 20.

Seattle designated him for assignment a week later, got him through waivers, assigned him to Triple-A Tacoma and selected him again on Aug. 19. He was DFA’ed again on Sept. 1. This time, Washington claimed him on Sept. 3.

He pitched in five games for Seattle, going 1-0 with a 6.43 ERA, with six strikeouts and one walk in seven innings. He’s pitched in three games for the Nationals, with a 1-0 record and a 4.91 ERA. He has two strikeouts in 3.2 innings.

Poulin was on the same trajectory. Before the season the Colorado Rockies, who selected the 29-year-old in the 11th round pick in 2018, traded him to Detroit for cash. The Tigers selected his contract on July 6 and then DFAed him on July 31 to make room for players they acquired at the trade deadline, including former Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan. The Nationals claimed Poulin three days later.

Even though he was selected by Detroit, he never pitched for the Tigers and his first appearance with the Nationals on Aug. 5 was his MLB debut. With Washington he is 2-1 with a 2.78 ERA in 25 games, with 23 strikeouts and 11 walks in 22.2 innings. Batters are hitting .235 against him and he looks like a potential set-up man for 2026.

This article first appeared on Washington Nationals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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