Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz (20) hits a RBI double against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at Nationals Park. Brad Mills-Imagn Images

Washington Nationals Catcher Keibert Ruiz Shines With Parents in Attendance

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Sam Connon | Last updated May 23, 2025 10:59 AM ET

Keibert Ruiz has been in the big leagues for six years now, but his biggest fans never got the chance to see him play in-person.

That finally changed on Thursday.

Ruiz's parents were in the stands watching the Washington Nationals take on the Atlanta Braves, watching their son play an MLB game for the first time. They had been denied visas four separate times before finally getting approved last week, allowing them to travel from Venezuela to the United States.

In his very first at-bat of the contest, Ruiz got the Nationals on the board with an RBI double. He waved to his parents when he got to second base, all while they jumped up and down in excitement.

"Every inning, I just looked there (and) I can’t believe they were in the stands," Ruiz said, per The Washington Post's Spencer Nusbaum. "It still feels like a dream."

Keibert Ruiz's parents are watching him play in person in the Major Leagues for the first time.

He doubled in his first at-bat pic.twitter.com/JqCiue6Y48
— MLB (@MLB) May 22, 2025

Ruiz finished the evening 2-for-5 with two RBIs. Washington went on to win 8-7 thanks to Amed Rosario's walk-off single in the 10th, bringing the club's winning streak to five games in the process.

Through 44 games this season, Ruiz is batting .283 with a .701 OPS and 0.6 WAR. The 26-year-old backstop has now appeared in 450 MLB games since making his debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020.

Ahead of the 2023 season, the Nationals signed Ruiz to an eight-year, $50 million contract that could keep him in Washington through 2032.

The Nationals will stay at home this weekend, opening a series with the San Francisco Giants on Friday.

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

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