CJ Abrams admitted fault after being thrown out at second base on a deep fly ball during the Washington Nationals' Opening Day loss to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The shortstop approached manager Blake Butera right away in the dugout to take accountability for not running out of the box quickly. Nationals officials praised the 25-year-old's response as fitting the team's culture.
The incident occurred Thursday during the Nationals' six-run fourth inning with the bases loaded. Abrams lifted a Statcast-projected 361-foot fly ball to right field at 110.8 mph off Chicago Cubs pitcher Matthew Boyd. The ball, which would have been a home run in 28 of 30 Major League ballparks, stayed in play at Wrigley Field. Abrams paused to watch it before sprinting at an elite 30.5 feet per second, but an outfield relay threw him out at second. A video challenge upheld the safe call on the runner behind him but confirmed Abrams out. “On Thursday, [CJ Abrams] crushed that ball to right field and gets thrown out at second base, of course, which isn't like CJ,” Butera said Saturday. “But he came in right away and just owned up to it and knew he made a mistake not getting out of the box quick. [He] said that it can't happen and wanted to fully own that mistake he made.” Abrams sought out Butera upon returning to the dugout. “He knows the culture we're trying to create here, the accountability piece,” Butera added. “I think any time that a player like CJ is able to recognize their own mistake... to come in on his own and then say, ‘Hey, my mistake, that won't happen,’ [that] just goes a long way.” President of baseball operations Paul Toboni highlighted Abrams' maturity: “I think it speaks to what the coaching staff is creating where no one has to tell CJ that he's got to run out of the box -- he’s coming into the dugout and he’s coming up to Blake and saying, ‘Hey, that’s on me.’ To us, that's what accountability is. CJ is a really smart player and smart guy, and he knows it.” Abrams, whom the Nationals view as a young leader, played the rest of the game. He had Friday off and missed Saturday due to a family death but is expected back for Sunday's series finale. “We have CJ’s back,” Butera said.
