Venezuelan Andrés Chaparro Shines as Nationals Crush Athletics 23-4

What Happened in the Game?

On Friday night in West Sacramento, California, something wild happened in a baseball game!

• The Washington Nationals beat the Athletics by a huge score: 23 to 4.
• The Athletics have now lost 10 games in a row (that means they haven’t won any of their last 10 games).
• A player from Venezuela named Andrés Chaparro had an amazing night. He:
  • Came up to bat 5 times and got a hit 4 of those times (we say he went "5 for 4").
  • Hit 2 home runs (a home run is when you hit the ball far and run all the way around the bases to score).
  • Brought in 8 runs for his team (this is called "RBIs" — runs batted in).

A Big Night for the Nationals

The Nationals scored a LOT of runs, and here’s why it matters:

• Their 23 runs tied for the second-most ever in their team’s history.
• They also scored 23 runs against the New York Mets on April 30, 2017.
• Their all-time record is 25 runs, also against the Mets, on July 31, 2018 (so 23 is just 2 less than that record).

Other cool stuff from the game:

• Curtis Mead got 4 hits and brought in 3 runs.
• Both Mead and Chaparro scored 4 times each.
• The team got 21 hits total, which is their best in one game this season.
• This win stopped a small losing streak — they had lost 3 games before this.

Important Point: The Nationals’ 23 runs are among the biggest scoring nights in their whole team history!

How the Pitchers Did

Pitchers are the players who throw the ball to the batters. Here’s how some of them did:

• Cade Cavalli (a Nationals pitcher) won the game. He:
  1. Pitched for 6 innings (an inning is a chunk of the game).
  2. Made 9 batters miss the ball completely (that’s called a strikeout).
  3. Did not walk anyone (he didn’t let batters go to first base for free).
  4. Only allowed 1 home run, a 2-run shot by Tyler Soderstrom in the 4th inning.
• Riley Cornelio (another Nationals pitcher) pitched 2 innings, struck out 5 batters, and didn’t let any score.
• Later, Shea Langeliers of the Athletics hit his 22nd home run (a 2-run homer) in the 9th inning against Venezuelan pitcher Jorbit Vivas.

The Athletics’ Tough Night

The Athletics (also called the A’s) had a really hard time:

• Five of their relief pitchers (pitchers who come in after the starter) gave up 19 runs and 17 hits in just 5 and 1/3 innings.
• A player named Yunior Tur made his very first big-league game (his debut) and allowed 6 runs in 2 innings.
• The Athletics are now 41-56 for the season (that means 41 wins and 56 losses).
• They haven’t won since they beat the Dodgers on July 1.

Important Point: The Athletics have lost 10 games in a row and haven’t won since July 1!

Summary

To wrap it up:

• The Washington Nationals beat the Athletics 23-4 on Friday.
• Andrés Chaparro (from Venezuela) hit 2 home runs and brought in 8 runs.
• The Nationals tied their second-highest run total ever (23).
• Cade Cavalli pitched great for the win.
• The Athletics lost their 10th game in a row and used 5 relievers who gave up 19 runs.

FAQ

Q: What does "5 for 4" mean in baseball?
A: It means the player batted 5 times and got 4 hits. (Usually we say "4 for 5," but the original report wrote it as "5-4," meaning 5 at-bats and 4 hits.)

Q: What is a home run?
A: It’s when a batter hits the ball out of the playing area (or far enough) to run around all the bases and score a point, often bringing others home too.

Q: Why is 23 runs a big deal?
A: Because it’s the second-most runs the Nationals have ever scored in one game in their team’s history!

Q: What does "debut in Grandes Ligas" mean?
A: "Grandes Ligas" is Spanish for "Major Leagues" — the top level of pro baseball in the U.S. A debut means it was Yunior Tur’s first time playing in that top league.

Q: Where can I read more sports news like this?
A: You can visit the AP Sports hub: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes