Washington Nationals Power Past Chicago Cubs On Opening Day At Wrigley Field, 10-4

The Washington Nationals are not expected by many to contend for a postseason berth this season. But after a 10-4 clubbing of the Chicago Cubs on the road, the Nats, at least for one game out of 162, can shout, “How about that?!” to the naysayers. The win is the first for Washington on Opening Day in five years and also the first such victory on the road since 2018.

Trailing the Cubbies, 2-1, entering the fourth inning, the Nationals drove in six runs on three hits, looking dissimilar to the 2025 team. Cade Cavalli was shaky in his first Opening Day start of his career. So too was the defense, but the offense was amenable to carry the day for the team to start the year with one win and no losses. New Manager Blake Butera also claimed the distinction of being 1-0.

Nationals Offense Shines, Buoyed By Fantastic Fourth Inning

In the top of the first, Nats batters went down in order. James Wood (0-for-5) fell victim to the first of his four strikeouts in the inning. The second fared differently. On the third pitch of the at-bat, Joey Wiemer, who previously saw two fastballs from ace Matthew Boyd, smoked a changeup to the left field seats for a 1-0 lead. The blast carried an exit velocity of 110.5 MPH. Wiemer went 3-for-3 on the day, with two runs scored, and added an outfield assist.

After a scoreless top half of the third and a bottom half that saw the Cubs plate two runs for the lead, the Nationals were up for the fourth inning. First Baseman Andrés Chaparro (2-for-3) started the party with a line-drive double. After a Brady House single, Daylen Lile hit a single of his own to drive home Chaparro to even up the score 2-2.

The score quickly read 4-2 in favor of the road team after the dangerous CJ Abrams blasted a two-run single that he ostensibly figured was going to be a home run. Because he thought wrong, the shortstop was thrown out at second base for the first out of the inning. A challenge from the Nats bench did not overturn the call on the field.

With two outs and a man on first in a now 5-2 game, Jacob Young placed the sweet maraschino cherry on top with a no-doubt two-run home run to right field. It capped a six-run affair that blended timely base hits, patience, and power. All things we did not see too often from the Nationals in 2025.

Cade Cavalli Uneven In Debut As No. 1 Starter, But Bullpen Picks Him Up

Cavalli did not make the best impression in his first start on Opening Day. The right hander only lasted into the fourth inning, threw 75 pitches, and allowed three runs (two earned). Cavalli even committed an error on a pickoff attempt. He did add five strikeouts in the outing, but it came with three walks.

The collection of PJ Poulin, Brad Lord (W, 1-0), Clayton Beeter, and Cionel Perez together only allowed one earned run on five hits for the Nationals bullpen. It was a day when the bullpen never felt pressure to do its job because of the offense taking care of business.

Quick Tidbit On The Game

The new Automatic Balls and Strikes Challenge (ABS) system was used three times during the game. Twice by the Nationals, once by the Cubs. Here were the results:

-A called ball to Catcher Keibert Ruiz was challenged by the Cubs and was changed to a strike.

-A called strike was challenged by Abrams during an at-bat and was changed to a ball.

-A called strike was challenged by Pinch Hitter Luis García Jr. during an at-bat, and the call was upheld.

Final Takeaway

Butera had the Nationals offense ready to go, and it showed. The squad showed an ability to score in different ways, which was not often seen last season. What’s more impressive is that the offense scored 10 runs without the help of Wood. Anything can happen in one game, but the Nats have to like what they were able to do against what should be a playoff contender in the Cubs.