Nats OF Juan Soto leaves game early with right calf cramp
The Nationals slugger drew an 11-pitch walk from Sixto Sánchez with one out in the top of the first. He then was replaced in right field in the bottom half of the inning by Gerardo Parra. AdOpening day of the 2021 baseball season is a week away; Washington hosts the New York Mets at night on April 1. We can do some different things to keep them ready as far as the swing and things of that nature,” Martinez said. “But we want to make sure this doesn’t become a bigger issue.”___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Outfielder Gerardo Parra on how Baby Shark became the Nationals' anthem
Outfielder Gerardo Parra helped turn things around for the Nationals when he joined the team in May, but he may be remembered more for giving the team a new anthem: Baby Shark. As the team advanced to the World Series, the seas of fans would dance along with baby shark, mama shark and daddy shark moves. You know, I want to stay," Parra said, adding he'll take however many years God gives him with the Nationals. According to Parra, Baby Shark is "inside my heart." It not only gave him the World Series, but "I think more important is every kid's happy."
cbsnews.comWashington Nationals unite D.C. with historic World Series win
Washington The Washington Nationals are celebrating the team's first World Series win in the history of the franchise. On their road to victory, the Nationals gave fans something that all of Washington, D.C., could unite around. It all began this past summer when reserve outfielder Gerardo Parra convinced the team to adopt his 2-year-old daughter's favorite song, "Baby Shark," as its anthem. The Washington Nationals celebrate after defeating the Houston Astros in Game Seven to win the 2019 World Series on October 30, 2019, in Houston. National Symphony Orchestra Musicians were playing Baby Shark.
cbsnews.comWashington Nationals' obsession with Baby Shark drives MLB store sales during World Series
"Before the game, I tried merengue, reggaeton, hip-hop, then I said, 'You know what, I want to put in 'Baby Shark,'" Parra told NBC Sports. Fans caught on to the "Baby Shark" craze, contributing to the MLB's retail sales. "It's amazing, the energy the fans bring to me and to my teammates," Parra told the Washington Post. Astros and Nationals' jersey sales are also hot. Since the postseason began, the Nationals have four players, while the Astros have six in the top 30 most popular jersey sales.
cnbc.comCan the Nationals shock the heavily favored Astros?
Gerardo Parra #88 of the Washington Nationals celebrates with the trophy after winning the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals at Nationals Park on Oct. 15, 2019, in Washington, DC. But it's hard to think of many guys better than that trio to kick off a World Series." The Astros are in their third World Series in franchise history, having reached the series in 2005 and winning it all in 2017. While the Astros were a favorite throughout the season to get this far, the Nationals were on more uneven footing. The San Francisco Giants are the last wild card team to win a World Series, in 2014.