{"id":653961,"date":"2026-03-31T06:32:25","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T06:32:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/653961\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T06:32:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T06:32:25","slug":"foster-griffin-returns-to-mlb-with-nationals-after-3-years-in-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/653961\/","title":{"rendered":"Foster Griffin returns to MLB with Nationals after 3 years in Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"AA cubist interpretation of Foster Griffin’s return to the major leagues, deconstructing his pitching mechanics into a dynamic geometric composition.Philadelphia Today<\/p>\n

After playing in Japan the last three seasons, Monday night marked Foster Griffin’s official return to the big leagues as he took the mound for the Washington Nationals in their series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies. The 30-year-old southpaw threw 5 innings of two-run ball, striking out 5 and working out of a jam in the 5th inning to help the Nationals secure a 13-2 victory.<\/p>\n

Why it matters<\/p>\n

Griffin’s return to the majors after a successful stint in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league is a feel-good story for the Nationals, who are looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2025 season. His performance shows he still has the stuff to compete at the highest level and could provide a boost to the Nats’ starting rotation.<\/p>\n

The details<\/p>\n

Griffin threw 86 pitches, mixing in 29 cutters, 17 four-seamers, 13 sweepers, 12 changeups, 7 splitters, 4 sinkers and 4 curveballs. He gave up a 2-run homer to Rafael March\u00e1n in the 5th inning but otherwise kept the Phillies’ lineup in check, working out of a jam by getting Bryce Harper to ground out.<\/p>\n

Griffin last appeared in the majors on September 22, 2022.He signed a 1-year deal with the Nationals in December 2025.Monday’s game against the Phillies marked Griffin’s first MLB appearance since 2022.<\/p>\n

The players<\/p>\n

Foster Griffin<\/p>\n

A 30-year-old left-handed pitcher who was a first-round draft pick by the Royals in 2014. He spent the last 3 seasons playing in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league, where he was named an All-Star in 2025, before signing with the Nationals this offseason.<\/p>\n

Blake Butera<\/p>\n

The manager of the Washington Nationals, who praised Griffin’s tactical approach and ability to think through how he wants to attack hitters.<\/p>\n

Rafael March\u00e1n<\/p>\n

The Phillies catcher who hit a 2-run homer off Griffin in the 5th inning.<\/p>\n

Trea Turner<\/p>\n

The Phillies shortstop who hit a line-drive double off Griffin in the 5th inning.<\/p>\n

Kyle Schwarber<\/p>\n

The Phillies outfielder who was hit by a pitch from Griffin in the 5th inning.<\/p>\n

Got photos? Submit your photos here. \u203a<\/a>
\n What they\u2019re saying<\/p>\n

\u201cHe’s like a tactician out there. And not to say it’s always going to work and he’s always going to get everybody out that he faces, but just the way he thinks through how he wants to attack hitters, he’s like a silent assassin. He’s a pretty quiet guy, but you see he’s always paying attention to what’s going on so he’s never really surprised at any moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Blake Butera, Nationals Manager<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next<\/p>\n

Griffin will look to build on his strong return to the majors in his next start for the Nationals, as they continue their series against the Phillies.<\/p>\n

The takeaway<\/p>\n

Griffin’s successful return to the big leagues after a productive stint in Japan’s NPB league shows he still has the talent and composure to compete at the highest level. His performance could provide a much-needed boost to the Nationals’ starting rotation as they aim to bounce back from a disappointing 2025 season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a A cubist interpretation of Foster Griffin’s return to the major…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":653962,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2302],"tags":[5,2353,2352],"class_list":{"0":"post-653961","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-npb","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-nippon-professional-baseball","10":"tag-npb"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116322394040621050","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/653961","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=653961"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/653961\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/653962"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=653961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=653961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=653961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}