WASHINGTON (AP) — Bryce Harper made a tumbling barehanded catch in centerfield and then led off the ninth inning with a double to set the stage for Ian Desmond’s two-out game-ending home run that gave the Washington Nationals a 5-4 victory over the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night.
In the sixth inning, Harper fell down in the right-center gap while attempting to catch a fly ball off Jason Kubel’s bat. As he landed in the grass, Harper secured the ball in his ungloved right hand.
Harper, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft, also had his first multi-hit game with two doubles and scored his first career run by knocking the ball out of the catcher’s glove.
The Nationals snapped their own five-game losing streak and ended the three-game winning streak of the Diamondbacks.