Nationals Riley Adams Shows Immense Value With Stunning Homer Against Phillies
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The Washington Nationals have a lot to celebrate after taking home two victories against the New York Mets earlier this week. Early on in that series, it looked like the Mets would dominate as they took home an 8-1 victory on Tuesday.
However, the Nationals were unwilling to give in and redeemed themselves with a tight 5-4 win on Wednesday, followed by a whopping 9-3 win on Thursday, to take the series.
Heading into their matchup against the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday, uncertainty loomed. Washington is last in the National League East, while the the Phillies comfortably sat at the top of the division. The likelihood of the Nationals coming out on top was slim and expectations weren't set very high, but they managed to pull it off with a 5-4 victory.
The franchise received a boost from their catcher — Riley Adams — who helped give them the lead early on. It's clear that he has been using his additional playing time wisely, considering his massive surge in Friday's game.
Riley Adams Proves His Worth
Coming off its recent victories, Washington seems to be carrying a strong sense of confidence with it, which showed early on in Friday's game. In the first inning, Adams drilled a huge 3-run homer to right-center, immediately giving the franchise a hefty lead, 3-0.
As of late, Adams has been showing immense production on the field. So far this season, he is slashing .208/.268/.377 and hasn't shown any sign of slowing down. However, the success of a team does not revolve around one player — the franchise must have all hands on deck.
our catcher wants us to show you his first inning bomb so you b e t t e r be nice to him pic.twitter.com/9A2RVQEcPX
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 22, 2025
Soon enough, the Phillies caught up to the Nationals, but that did not diminish the spectacular effort made by Adams. The 29-year-old catcher has been gaining additional playing time, with much of that time playing out in his favor. He seems to have found his footing, which was incredibly apparent on Friday.
According to Patrick Stevens of MLB.com, after Adams' spectacular game on Thursday, he stated, "I don't think it's any secret that the more time you're out there, the easier it is for myself to feel like I'm getting my timing down and getting into a rhythm there. I'm trying to take that day by day and get a little more comfortable every time." Adams went 2-for-3 with two RBI in that contest.
It's clear that Adams is feeling quite a bit more comfortable on the field, but if he wants to continue to be a valuable asset, he will need to keep reeling in the runs. He is standing true his "day by day" motto, and sure enough, Friday was another great day for the young star.
