Daylen Lile's 10th-Inning Two-Run Blast Stuns Reds After Washington Nearly Blew a Five-Run Deficit

Sometimes a single swing tells you everything about a team's character. Daylen Lile's two-run homer in the top of the 10th inning off Tony Santillan gave the Washington Nationals an 8-7 comeback win over the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night at Great American Ball Park, and it capped one of the most dramatic reversals you'll see this season. The Nationals came back from trailing 5-0 after one inning. That's not a typo. Down five runs before most fans had finished their first beer.

Reds Jump Out to an Early Lead, Then Can't Finish

Cincinnati looked like they were going to cruise. The Reds sent nine men to the plate in the first inning and scored five runs to jump out front. Elly De La Cruz singled with one out, went to second on a flyout, and scored on JJ Bleday's double. Then Steer and Nathaniel Lowe walked to load the bases, and Tyler Stephenson crushed a grand slam to center off Jake Irvin. At that point, you figured Cincinnati had this one locked up.

But Washington had other ideas. The Nationals answered back in the second inning. Abrams doubled and Jacob Young singled him to third. Abrams scored on Lile's sacrifice fly, and Young came home on Joey Wiemer's double. Keibert Ruiz homered off Nick Lodolo to pull Washington within 5-4. In the third, Curtis Mead was hit by a pitch and later scored on a bases-loaded walk by Wiemer. The Reds stretched it to 6-5 in their half when Steer led off with a single, Lowe walked, and after TJ Friedl hit a potential double-play grounder, Abrams' relay throw went wide of first and Steer scored. Young singled in the fifth and scored on a groundout by Luis Garcia Jr., tying it at 6-6.

Lile Delivers When It Matters Most

The Louisville product had already homered twice in his first game at Great American Ball Park on Monday. On Tuesday, with the game on the line in the 10th, Lile homered off Santillan with one out and automatic runner CJ Abrams on second. That two-run blast put Washington up 8-6.

Cincinnati got one back in the bottom of the 10th when Spencer Steer hit a shot to left off PJ Poulin. A fan reached over the fence to catch it, but a crew-chief review confirmed spectator interference, and Steer was given a double as automatic runner Sal Stewart scored, cutting it to 8-7. Tyler Stephenson walked with two outs, but Blake Dunn grounded out to end it. Poulin earned his second save.

Washington reliever Gus Varland pitched a scoreless ninth despite allowing a leadoff double to Matt McLain. For the Reds, De La Cruz had another strong game with two hits on five at-bats and now has five straight multi-hit games. The Nationals' Abrams had two doubles and Lile added a single along with his sacrifice fly in the win.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.