The Nats fail in the season finale, finishing again with a record of 71-91 (updated)

The 2024 Nationals ended up being a team full of contradictions. They certainly showed real improvement compared to last year, especially in the pitching department. And yet, when you look at the final record, you find a 71-91 record that appears to be identical to the 71-91 record from 2023.

They found themselves in that familiar situation after suffering a 6-3 loss to the Phillies in the season finale this afternoon. Having already won the previous two days against the division champions, the Nats dug themselves into an early hole created by Jake Irvin and couldn’t quite claw their way back despite a last-ditch effort in the bottom of the ninth.

“We made it interesting,” sighed manager Davey Martinez. “A testament to the boys. They fought hard all year long. I’m proud of her. Of course, no one wants to go home at this time of year. You want to keep playing. But the effort was definitely there this year.”

There wasn’t as much intensity on display today as there was on Friday and Saturday at Nationals Park, where the young home team seemed particularly motivated to beat the Phillies and deny them a chance at home-court advantage in the postseason. With nothing on the line, this was a low-key affair, with the Phillies sitting Bryce Harper and pulling Trea Turner early, although the Nats decided to fight one last time.

They loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth and had three shots to win the game by one hit. But Luis García Jr. struck out, James Wood struck out, and Juan Yepez hit the ball against the wall on the left, leaving everyone holding their breath until Kody Clemens made a diving catch to end the game.

“I really thought it was a home run,” Martinez said. “Obviously today wasn’t a good day to bat. But he hit it well.”

A crowd of 26,729 enjoyed the event on a cloudy, 69-degree Sunday, a day after the store sold out. In total, the Nationals drew 1,966,302 fans this season, an increase of more than 100,000 from 2023 but a decrease of 60,000 from 2022, when they lost 107 games but kept Juan Soto on the roster for four months.

In a season marked by the development of young starting players, Irvin’s emergence was at the top of the list. The 27-year-old was a surprising contributor as a rookie last season, making 24 starts and finishing with a 4.61 ERA. He’s clearly taken a step forward this season and established himself as a sometimes dominant workhorse, but there’s clearly still room for improvement.

After an eight-inning gem on July 4 against the Mets, Irvin was the proud owner of a 2.80 ERA and warranted All-Star speculation. He had a few more gems in him in the second half, including back-to-back starts against the Braves and Mets earlier this month, but he was ultimately undone by an unfortunate blowup inning penchant.

Five times in the second half Irvin gave up six or more runs in a start. That included today’s six-run outing, which boosted his season-ending ERA to a pedestrian 4.41.

“From a personal perspective, the second half was not what I expected from myself,” he said. “It was definitely disappointing. But there is a lot to learn and a lot to build. When I look at the bigger picture, I’m definitely excited about the things I’ve learned, what I can build on and how. “There are a lot of things I can learn better from this year.”

Irvin ran into trouble early in the first, loading the bases before getting one out with two walks and a single. He managed to retire the next three batters he faced, although two runs crossed the plate on productive outs. And so began a beautiful streak of twelve consecutive batters, only one of whom got a ball from the infield.

However, early in the fifth, Irvin once again found himself in a bases-loaded no-out jam. And this time he couldn’t get out. A two-run single by Kyle Schwarber and a two-run double by Weston Wilson gave the Phillies six runs on the afternoon and ended Irvin’s season on a bad note.

The right-hander left the mound to loud applause from the crowd. He has a lot to be proud of, most notably his 187 2/3 innings (the fifth-most in the National League and the most of any Nationals pitcher since 2019). He also has the motivation to come back next season and strive for more consistency and better final statistics.

“To me it’s just fuel for the fire,” he said. “I’m going into the offseason and hopefully I’ll continue to stay healthy. But the biggest focus is on getting better and coming back in the spring ready to compete for a championship. I’m full of energy.”

Run support has often been a problem for Irvin this year, but the Nationals gave him something today. García led off the bottom of the first with a home run, his 18th of the season and twice as many as last season. García and Yepez each delivered RBI singles in the fifth, cutting the deficit to 6-3.

“I am proud and excited to see that I was able to hit the ball very hard on the first shot, as well as on the second shot where I made that run,” García said through interpreter Octavio Martinez. “I didn’t go out looking for these results. I went out there just to play hard and then the results were there. I’m very proud of that.”

The Nats also got another big day from Dylan Crews to cap off a big weekend for the rookie outfielder. The 22-year-old, who was mired in a 31-1 loss earlier in the series, looked revitalized in this final series, especially with a three-pointer in the sixth period that had Crews momentarily looking like he wanted it all give long before he stumbled for second place.

That hit moved him to 6-for-10 with a double, a triple, two walks and two stolen bases in the series, pushed his batting average back above the Mendoza Line and made everyone breathe a little easier when it comes to the top contender, that goes into winter.

“Definitely I take a lot of pride in trying to finish strong,” Crews said. “I think it’s about two things: Firstly, good impressions. And secondly, just finishing strong and going home with a good result. But I’ve been doing it since I was a little kid and I try to live by it. Easy.” Leave this place with a good impression.