MLB Fans React to Near Historic Athletics-Nationals At-Bat

MLB Fans React to Near Historic Athletics-Nationals At-Bat originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

After defeating the Athletics on Wednesday to even the series and end their six-game losing streak, the Washington Nationals walked into Thursday’s game hoping to build some momentum. Unfortunately for them, they got shut out and lost 6-0.

With their loss to the Athletics, Washington is now 45-69 on the season, and they currently own the second-worst record in the NL and the third-worst in the majors. However, despite the loss, the Nationals nearly made history on Thursday. More specifically, first baseman Nathaniel Lowe almost did.

In the bottom of the eighth inning against Athletics pitcher Jacob Lopez, Lowe recorded a 17-pitch at-bat that ended in a strikeout looking. This was just four pitches shy of tying the longest recorded at-bat, which was a 21-pitch at-bat recorded by Brandon Belt of the San Francisco Giants in 2018 (h/t Chad Thornburg and Matt Kelly of MLB.com).

After Lowe’s almost historic at-bat, many fans took to social media to give their thoughts and reactions.

“That’s called discipline,” one user wrote on X.

“Amazing pitching,” a fan wrote.

“That wasn’t an at-bat, it was a saga 😵⚾,” another fan wrote on X.

“Baseball chess at its finest,” wrote another fan.

“I find this type of face off so exciting. It’s what sets baseball apart from the other sports,” another fan wrote.

Despite Nearly Making History, the Nationals Are Struggling

Though Lowe’s at-bat was incredibly impressive, even if it ended in a strikeout, it does not change how poorly things have gone for Washington this season.

The Nationals have yet to return to the playoffs since winning it all in 2019. Additionally, fresh off back-to-back 71-91 finishes, the team did not have too high of expectations this season. Even so, they are on pace to finish as one of the worst teams in the majors this year.

According to StatMuse, the Nationals are 8-19 since losing their July 4th matchup to the Boston Red Sox. They have struggled for the majority of the season, but things have looked even worse for the team over the last month.

While not technically officially eliminated yet, it will be borderline impossible for Washington to make the postseason this season. As it stands, they are 17.5 games behind the New York Mets for the third NL Wild Card spot.

The Nationals have some talent and could return to playoff contention in the near future. However, at this rate, they are going to have to wait a little while longer before they can think about the postseason again.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 7, 2025, where it first appeared.

MLB Fans React to Near Historic Athletics-Nationals At-Bat

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