Watch: Nationals star hits HR off absurdly high pitch

Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams rounds third base after hitting a home run. Rafael Suanes-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Nationals' CJ Abrams hits home run off absurdly high pitch

By Austen Bundy | Last updated Aug 6, 2024 10:18 PM ET

The Washington Nationals have hit a league-low 93 home runs this season, but shortstop CJ Abrams just submitted his candidacy for moonshot of the season.

In the bottom of the second inning Tuesday night against the San Francisco Giants, Abrams chased a ball that was high and out of the zone — like, really high and out of the zone — and somehow smacked it 387 feet into the right field seats with seeming ease.

The pitch by San Francisco's Hayden Birdsong was nearly parallel to Abrams' eyebrows when it crossed the plate. Yes, you read that correctly — his eyebrows.

Washington posted on X after Abrams' three-run shot that the pitch was the highest ever hit by one of its players for a home run in the Statcast era at 4.42 feet above the plate.

This was the highest pitch ever hit for a home run by a Nationals player in the Statcast Era (2015-pres.).

1. CJ Abrams - 4.42 ft.
2. Kyle Schwarber (6/13/21 vs. SFG) - 4.19 ft.
3. Michael A. Taylor (10/12/17 vs. CHI) - 4.06 ft. https://t.co/FgUljrgSq3
— Nationals Communications (@NationalsComms) August 6, 2024

Abrams' home run was his 17th of the season and the first of three hit by Washington during Tuesday night's 11-5 victory.

According to MLB, the highest pitch ever hit for a home run in the pitch-tracking era was 4.61 feet above the plate, hit by then-New York Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka in June 2022.

Austen Bundy

Austen Bundy is a journalist and sports junkie from the Washington, D. C. area

More must-reads: