Nationals outfielder James Wood joins Barry Bonds on unique list after rare MLB feat

The Los Angeles Angels thought not to pitch to Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood in Sunday's 11‑inning 7-4 loss. Wood was intentionally walked four times and he managed a hit in the other two plate appearances.

Wood created history as he became the first player in 21 years, joining Barry Bonds' feat from 2004, to get walked four times in a game.

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Intentional walks occur when a team deliberately gives a hitter first base to avoid dangerous batters. Angels walking Wood intentionally was understandable, given that he is the best hitter on the Nationals lineup. Wood is hitting .283 with 22 home runs and 11 stolen bases this season.

Wood drew these passes in the fifth, seventh, ninth and 11th innings. Moreover, all of these walks came when there were runners in scoring position.

Apart from Bonds, since 1955, there have been few other players who have also achieved this feat, including Roger Maris, Garry Templeton, Manny Ramirez and Andre Dawson. Among this, Dawson drew five intentional walks for the Chicago Cubs against Cincinnati on May 22, 1990.

James Wood's Nationals tied the game in the ninth and then win in extra-innings

The game on Sunday started with an RBI double from Angels' Taylor Ward in the bottom of the first inning. Nationals' Brady House tied the game with an RBI double in the fourth inning. The Nats took the lead on Luis Garcia Jr.'s RBI groundout in the top of the fifth inning, which also included an intentional walk to James Wood.

Angels' Jo Adell tied the game with an RBI single in the sixth inning. It was followed by an RBI single from Christian Moore to take a 3-2 lead. The Nats once again tied the game 3-3 on CJ Abrams' RBI double.

In the seventh inning, Luis Rengifo came home to score on a wild pitch from Jose A. Ferrer to give the Angels a 4-3 lead. An all-important game-tying single came from the bat of Jacob Young, sending the game to extra innings.

In the 11th inning, Drew Millas hit a go-ahead double off Angels reliever Connor Brogdon. Washington added insurance runs as Abrams' triple drove in two more runs, essentially sealing the game. Kyle Finnegan did the closing job for the Nats who earned a 7-4 win to improve to 35-49 on the season.

About the author

Krutik Jain is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. It was in 2018 when the baseball bug bit Krutik, and already a cricket fan, he credits baseball's rules and Clayton Kershaw's pitching to have hooked him to the game.

A Kershaw and Mookie Betts fan, Krutik rates his favorite team LA Dodgers triumphing over Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series as his best baseball moment so far. His answer to the perennial "one player from the past you could meet" question is Jackie Robinson. Despite never having seen him play, Robinson's impact, legacy and trail-blazing journey have left an indelible impact on Krutik.

A rigorous fact-checker, Krutik likes reporting on the technical aspects of the game as well as off-field elements. When not watching baseball, Krutik is busy playing cricket, staying up to date with the happenings around the world and hiking.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash