Washington Nationals vs New York Yankees: Match Player Stats & Comeback Recap

Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Austin Wells did it again, on the exact same date, one year apart. The New York Yankees beat the Washington Nationals 5-3 on July 10, 2026, thanks to a three-run ninth inning highlighted by back-to-back home runs from Chisholm and Wells, the same two players who delivered a nearly identical late-game rescue against Seattle exactly one year earlier. Here’s the complete breakdown of what happened in this home run-heavy slugfest.

Final Score and Game Overview

New York Yankees 5, Washington Nationals 3 — played July 10, 2026, at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

• Hits: Yankees 13, Nationals 8
• Home runs: Yankees 4, Nationals 2
• Total bases: Yankees 25, Nationals 16
• Attendance: 38,085
• Game time: 3 hours, 6 minutes, following a rain delay of nearly two hours
• Records after the game: Yankees 52-42, Nationals 48-47

This game lived up to the reputation of two of baseball’s most powerful offenses. The Yankees and Nationals ranked first and second in the majors in home runs at the time, and all but one run scored in this game came via the long ball.

The Ninth-Inning Rally That Won It

Washington took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the seventh when Keibert Ruiz and James Wood homered on back-to-back pitches, flipping a Yankees advantage into a Nationals lead in an instant. That lead held until the ninth inning, when Washington turned to left-hander Matt Krook, a reliever who had allowed 22 earned runs in just 12 and two-thirds career big-league innings dating back to 2023.

The results were predictable. Jasson Domínguez led off with a single, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. followed with a two-run homer to put New York back in front, 4-3. Austin Wells then added a solo shot off a different reliever, Justin Lawrence, to make it 5-3 and put the game away.

Full Home Run Breakdown

Six total home runs in one game is a lot even for two power-hitting lineups, and the way they were distributed, trading blows through the middle innings before New York’s decisive ninth, made this one of the more dramatic regular-season games either team played that summer.

Individual Stat Highlights

Ben Rice continued a hot stretch, hitting his 29th home run of the season and his seventh in his last ten games, a stretch that made him one of the most productive hitters in baseball at the time.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. delivered his 13th home run of the season, a two-run shot that proved to be the decisive blow in the game.

Austin Wells added his sixth homer of the year, an insurance run that turned a one-run lead into a more comfortable two-run cushion heading into the bottom of the ninth.

David Bednar picked up the win in relief, working the final two innings for New York without allowing a run.

Amed Rosario had a rough night for the Yankees, striking out in all three plate appearances and committing two errors at third base before being pulled for a pinch-hitter.

A Remarkable Coincidence: The Same Date, One Year Apart

What makes this win especially memorable is its connection to a game exactly one year earlier. On July 10, 2025, the Yankees trailed the Seattle Mariners 5-0 and were hitless through seven innings, with their win probability down to just 1.3 percent while Seattle’s Bryan Woo carried a no-hitter into the eighth. Chisholm broke up the no-hit bid leading off the eighth, Wells drove in the first run on a sacrifice fly and later tied the game with a two-run single in the ninth, and the Yankees eventually won in extra innings. That comeback made them the first team since the 1977 Pittsburgh Pirates to win a game after being hitless and down five runs entering the eighth inning.

A year later, on the same calendar date, the same two players, Chisholm and Wells, again delivered the decisive hits that flipped a late deficit into a Yankees win. It’s the kind of coincidence that baseball fans tend to remember long after the specific final score fades.

Why This Game Mattered in Context

Both teams were in interesting spots in their respective seasons. New York came into Washington after splitting a series with Tampa Bay and used this win to open a new series with momentum. Washington, meanwhile, was in the midst of a season defined by a young, talented, high-scoring roster that also gave up plenty of runs late in games, a profile that fit this particular loss perfectly. The Nationals actually held the lead for a stretch in the seventh inning before their bullpen let it slip away in the ninth.

Season Series Context

This wasn’t these two teams’ only meeting in recent seasons, and their history includes some lopsided results in both directions. In an August 2025 meeting, the Yankees beat Washington 10-5 behind a career-long home run from Ben Rice and a strong start from rookie Cam Schlittler. The very next day in that same series, Giancarlo Stanton drove in five runs, including a bases-clearing double and a 451-foot homer, in a 5-1 Yankees win, part of Washington’s four-game losing streak at the time.

Key Takeaways for Fantasy Purposes

• Ben Rice’s power surge (29 home runs, seven in his last ten games at the time) made him one of the better streaming options in fantasy formats during this stretch of the season.
• Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s clutch history in big moments, including this game and the prior year’s comeback against Seattle, suggests real late-game upside worth factoring into lineup decisions.
• James Wood and Keibert Ruiz’s back-to-back home runs show Washington’s lineup can produce power in bunches, even in a losing effort.
• Washington’s bullpen struggles late in games are a pattern worth watching for anyone betting on or rostering players in Nationals games specifically.

Final Word

Six home runs, a nearly two-hour rain delay, a shaky Nationals bullpen appearance, and a ninth-inning rally from the same two Yankees who delivered an even more dramatic comeback exactly one year earlier: this game had a little bit of everything. For New York, it continued a pattern of coming through in the most unlikely circumstances late in games. For Washington, it was a tough one to lose given how well the offense performed for most of the night, only to see it undone by a bullpen that couldn’t hold a late lead.

FAQ

What was the final score of the Nationals vs. Yankees game? New York won 5-3 on July 10, 2026, at Nationals Park.

Who hit the go-ahead home run in the ninth inning? Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a two-run homer off reliever Matt Krook to put the Yankees ahead 4-3, and Austin Wells added a solo shot immediately after for insurance.

How did Washington take the lead before New York’s comeback? Keibert Ruiz and James Wood hit home runs on back-to-back pitches in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Nationals a 3-2 lead.

What made this win statistically unusual? The two teams combined for six home runs, and all but one of the game’s runs scored via home run, reflecting that both lineups ranked among the top two in the majors in homers at the time.

Is there a connection between this game and a previous Yankees comeback? Yes. Exactly one year earlier, on July 10, 2025, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Austin Wells were the key figures in an even more dramatic Yankees comeback win over Seattle after New York trailed 5-0 and was hitless through seven innings.

Who struggled for New York in this particular game? Third baseman Amed Rosario had a difficult night, striking out in all three of his plate appearances and committing two defensive errors before being replaced by a pinch-hitter.

How did the two teams fare in their previous meeting? In an August 2025 series, the Yankees won both games covered in reporting, including a 10-5 win and a 5-1 win, with Giancarlo Stanton and Ben Rice both delivering standout offensive performances.

Who picked up the win and loss in this game? David Bednar earned the win for New York, working two scoreless innings in relief, while Matt Krook took the loss for Washington after allowing Chisholm’s go-ahead home run.