Washington Nationals at Detroit Tigers: Final Score & Recap
Line Score
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WSH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| DET | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 9 | 12 | 0 |
The Story
The Detroit Tigers handed the Washington Nationals a 9-2 defeat at Comerica Park on September 21, 2026, a game that was never particularly close despite beginning in relative balance. Detroit scored twice in the first inning and twice more in the fourth before breaking the game open with a five-run fifth, while Washington managed just two runs in the eighth against a lead that had long since grown insurmountable. The DiamondIQ model entered the night giving Detroit a 55 percent win probability and finished at 100 percent as the Tigers methodically dismantled the Nationals across nine innings.
The decisive swing came in the bottom of the fourth, when Javier Báez launched a home run off DJ Herz that shifted win probability by plus-13.1 percent, the single largest play of the game. Washington had a brief opportunity to apply early pressure in the second inning, but Keibert Ruiz's lineout cost the Nationals 7.0 percentage points of win probability and stalled that threat before it developed. The only meaningful sign of life from the Nationals came in the top of the third, when Jacob Young doubled off River Ryan for a plus-6.2 percent swing, though James Wood's subsequent strikeout erased much of that momentum. Ben Malgeri added a home run in the fifth off Luis Perales for another plus-4.1 percent boost, further salting the game away.
On the individual ledger, Báez led all position players with a plus-11.9 percent WPA and plus-1.8 RE24, while Eduardo Valencia posted the game's highest RE24 at plus-2.0 to go with plus-6.6 percent WPA. Young contributed plus-8.4 percent WPA despite playing for the losing side. The pitching story belonged to River Ryan, whose plus-12.3 percent WPA led all pitchers, with Keider Montero adding plus-8.9 percent in what was a thorough collective effort from the Detroit staff. The Tigers recorded 12 hits and committed no errors, while Washington finished with five hits and one error in a game the DiamondIQ model quickly assessed as out of reach.