WATCH: Joey Meneses Hits Walk-Off Home Run in Nationals' 7-5 Win Over A's
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The Hollywood story of 30-year-old Washington Nationals rookie Joey Meneses continues to write itself.
With the Nationals trailing 5-4 in the bottom of the tenth inning, down to their final out, Meneses hit a three-run, walk-off home run off Oakland Athletics' reliever Norge Ruiz, sealing a Nationals' 7-5 win over the A's in Washington D.C. Thursday.
It was the first home run the rookie Ruiz had given up in his career.
After over a decade in professional baseball, Meneses finally received his call to the show on August 2.
The Nationals were undermanned, having traded outfielder Juan Soto and first baseman Josh Bell to the San Diego Padres earlier in the day. That night, Meneses filled the Nationals' void at first base that Bell's departure left behind.
Meneses homered in his first big league game, and proceeded to hit five long balls over the first nine games of his career.
Since his call-up, through 25 games, Meneses has seven home runs, 15 RBI and a slash line of .354/.385 /1.011, playing first base and corner outfield.
Meneses was signed as an international free agent by the Atlanta Braves in 2011. Through seven minor league seasons in the Braves' system, Meneses showed promise, but never got beyond Double-A. In two seasons in Double-A (2016-2017), he slashed .290/.348/.761 and .292/.360/.763, respectively.
He reached free agency upon the conclusion of the 2017 season, and signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.
In 2018, Meneses slashed .311/.360/.870, hitting 23 home runs and 82 RBI in 130 games in Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Meneses signed a contract to play in Japan the next season, but was suspended for 12 months after testing positive for the anabolic steroid Stanozolol, a banned substance.
Meneses didn't play in 2020, but signed a minor league deal with the Boston Red Sox in 2021, once again, putting up good numbers, slashing .284/.333/.863 with 15 home runs and 70 RBI and across Double-A and Triple-A.
Meneses signed a minor league contract with the Nationals prior to the 2022 season, and after 96 games in Triple-A, was rewarded for his hard work. Now, he's taking the league by storm.
With their win on Thursday, the Nationals improve to 45-86, taking two of three from the A's in Washington D.C.
The Nationals will travel to New York this weekend for a three-game series with the Mets at Citi Field.
