WASHINGTON — The Boston Red Sox defeated the Washington Nationals 6-4 on July 6, 2025, at Nationals Park, completing a series sweep that prompted major changes for the Nationals. Hours after the loss, the team announced the firing of manager Dave Martinez and general manager Mike Rizzo, ending their tenures following a 37-53 season and a disappointing 7-19 record in June.
The Red Sox jumped ahead early, scoring four runs in the first inning off Nationals starter Shinnosuke Ogasawara. Nate Eaton singled and stole second, followed by Roman Anthony’s RBI single. Rob Refsnyder’s double drove in Anthony, and Trevor Story’s two-run homer, his 14th of the season, gave Boston a 4-0 lead. Ceddanne Rafaela, who went 3-for-4, added a double in the seventh and a solo homer in the ninth, his 11th, securing the 6-4 final. Boston’s record improved to 46-45, maintaining their fourth-place standing in the AL East.
“It was a great start for us,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora, as quoted on the team’s official site. “Getting those runs early gave our pitchers some breathing room.”
Garrett Crochet earned the win for Boston, improving to 9-4 with a 2.39 ERA. He pitched five innings, allowing two runs on nine hits with seven strikeouts. Relievers Garrett Whitlock, Justin Wilson, Greg Weissert, Aroldis Chapman, and Jordan Hicks combined for four innings, with Hicks securing his first save. Ogasawara took the loss, falling to 0-1 with a 13.50 ERA after yielding four runs in 2.2 innings.
The Nationals responded in the third, with Paul DeJong’s double and Brady House’s single cutting the lead to 4-2. House went 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Amed Rosario and Josh Bell each had two hits. In the seventh, Luis García Jr.’s bases-loaded walk made it 5-3, but Weissert escaped the jam. Daylen Lile’s RBI single in the ninth scored House, narrowing the gap to 6-4, but Hicks retired CJ Abrams to end the game.
The Nationals’ offense struggled, leaving 15 runners on base and going 4-for-11 with runners in scoring position. A 17-minute rain delay in the second inning briefly halted play, but the game resumed under partly cloudy skies with 86-degree weather. Attendance was 26,771, and the game lasted 2 hours and 54 minutes.
Following the loss, the Nationals parted ways with Martinez and Rizzo, who led the team to a 2019 World Series title. Martinez, hired in 2017, was the longest-tenured and winningest manager in Nationals history with a 500-622 record. Rizzo, the general manager since 2009, oversaw four NL East titles and the 2019 championship. Senior vice president and assistant general manager Mike DeBartolo was named interim GM, with an interim manager announcement expected on July 7, 2025.
“On behalf of our family and the Washington Nationals organization, I first and foremost want to thank Mike and Davey for their contributions to our franchise and our city,” team owner Mark D. Lerner said in a statement. “Our family is eternally grateful for their years of dedication to the organization, including their roles in bringing a World Series trophy to Washington, D.C. While we are appreciative of their past successes, the on-field performance has not been where we or our fans expect it to be. This is a pivotal time for our club, and we believe a fresh approach and new energy is the best course of action for our team moving forward.”
Rizzo, hired in 2006, was promoted to GM in 2009 and to president of baseball operations in 2013. His notable signings included Jayson Werth, Ryan Zimmerman, Max Scherzer, Patrick Corbin, and Stephen Strasburg. Martinez, a first-time manager when hired, led the Nationals to an improbable 2019 comeback after a 19-31 start, using motivational phrases like “Go 1-0 every day.” The team has not reached the postseason since, with a young core of All-Stars CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore, and James Wood failing to lift the Nationals from last place in the NL East.
The firings come ahead of the 2025 MLB Draft, where the Nationals hold the No. 1 pick, and the July 31 trade deadline, making DeBartolo’s interim role critical. The organization aims to rebuild around its promising talent, with Lerner expressing optimism about future competitiveness.
