Two batters after Gus Varland was replaced, the Giants walked off the Nationals. Thearon W. Henderson / Getty ImagesJune 10, 2026 Updated 7:35 pm EDTSAN FRANCISCO — They blew it.The Washington Nationals were on the precipice of sweeping the San Francisco Giants. For the first time since 2019 — 938 regular-season games and nearly 2,500 long, long days — they had a chance to be three games over .500.They led 9-1 entering the bottom of the eighth. They led 10-6 in the top of the ninth. They had zero business letting the Giants claw anywhere back to even the brink, let alone all the way back in an 11-10 walk-off loss.They did not even record an out in the ninth.The Giants brought the tying run to the plate, then the winning run to the plate. Bryce Eldridge, a man who was born and raised in the D.C. area who idolized Nationals star Bryce Harper when he was still Nationals star Bryce Harper, delivered the closing blow with a walk-off grand slam.
He saw a 2-0 slider down the middle of the plate from Mitchell Parker. He connected, stopped and stared as Dylan Crews tracked back and stood at the wall in right field.The ball cleared it by a few inches.The Giants found euphoria in a dismal season. The Nationals found dismay in a stretch that had otherwise been euphoric.
