The Braves exploded early, putting up six runs in the first three innings and never slowed down. Marcell Ozuna smashed a homer to center to make it 7-0. Travis d’Arnaud followed with a single, and Dansby Swanson added an RBI double. By the time the bases were loaded again, the Braves had nine runs on the board. Then things got weird. With runners on, a grounder to first set up a chaotic rundown. The Nationals’ catcher got in the way of the base runner heading to third and didn’t get to the back of the line, which is standard protocol in rundown situations. Angel Hernandez immediately called obstruction and awarded the runner home plate, making it 10-1.
That call left both benches confused. Braves manager Brian Snitker didn’t fully get why his team was awarded the run, and Nats manager Davey Martinez had to explain to his own coaching staff why the obstruction call erased what looked like an out at third. The play was weird, but the umpires got it right. Once things settled down, Matt Olson struck out swinging at a high fastball to finally end the inning. As the inning wrapped up, Martinez was seen telling his catcher to stop cutting the line during rundowns and to just back up the play like he’s supposed to. A wild inning, a messy rundown, and a rare correct call from Angel Hernandez. The Braves ended it leading 10-1.