Washington Nationals left-hander MacKenzie Gore struck out 10 batters over six shutout innings to lead his team to an 8-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants on August 10, 2025, at Oracle Park, spoiling Justin Verlander’s milestone of reaching 3,500 career strikeouts. The win improved the Nationals to 48-70, still last in the National League East, while the Giants fell to 59-60, holding third in the NL West. A crowd of 40,089 attended the afternoon game under sunny skies with 65-degree temperatures and a 12 mph wind blowing out to center field, as the Nationals took two of three in the series.
Gore, earning his fifth win against 12 losses and lowering his ERA to 4.09, allowed three hits and one walk on 96 pitches, 67 for strikes. He started strong by striking out Rafael Devers in the first inning for his initial out and finished by fanning Wilmer Flores in the sixth for his 10th strikeout, marking his first double-digit strikeout game since April 19, 2025, against Colorado. The 26-year-old, acquired from San Diego in the 2022 Juan Soto trade, has shown improved command this season, with his fastball averaging 96 mph and generating 16 swinging strikes in this outing. Relievers Cade Henry, Reid Poulin and Clayton Beeter combined for three scoreless innings, striking out five to complete the shutout, Washington’s fourth of the season.
Offensively, the Nationals collected 17 hits against Verlander and two relievers. James Wood drove in four runs, going 2-for-5 with two doubles, including a second-inning line drive that scored Riley Adams and Daylen Lile for a 2-0 lead. Wood, the 22-year-old outfielder and former top prospect, added a seventh-inning double off Spencer Bivens to plate Adams and Jacob Young, pushing the score to 8-0. Through August 10, Wood has batted .257 with 25 home runs and 77 RBIs in 2025, ranking him among the NL’s top rookies with a .844 OPS and 55.2% hard-hit rate.
CJ Abrams provided early power with a two-run home run in the second inning off Verlander, a fly ball that grazed the right-field foul pole to score Wood and extend the lead to 4-0. The 24-year-old shortstop finished 2-for-5 with two RBIs, his 15th homer of the season traveling 375 feet at 105 mph exit velocity. Paul DeJong contributed two RBIs with singles in the fourth and sixth innings, the first scoring Young and advancing Josh Bell to third, and the second plating Abrams with Bell on third. Bell doubled in the fourth, part of his 3-for-4 day, while Young stole his 12th base and scored twice.
Verlander, the 42-year-old veteran in his first season with the Giants after signing a one-year deal, took the loss to fall to 1-9 with a 4.53 ERA. He allowed five runs on 11 hits over five innings, striking out six, including his 3,500th career strikeout on Nathaniel Lowe in the first—a milestone that places him 10th all-time behind Nolan Ryan’s record 5,714. Bivens surrendered three runs in three innings, and Randy Koss pitched a scoreless ninth. The Giants managed three hits, with Heliot Ramos, Matt Chapman and Patrick Bailey each singling, but stranded four runners and struck out 15 times.
The game lasted two hours and 24 minutes, with umpires John Bacon at home plate, Marvin Hudson at first, Tripp Gibson at second and Ryan Blakney at third. San Francisco committed one error, a fielding miscue by Chapman in the third that did not lead to runs, while Washington turned a double play in the fifth.
This Nationals Giants game highlighted Washington’s young core amid a rebuilding year, with Gore’s performance signaling progress in the rotation. The Nationals, 25 games under .500, have focused on developing prospects like Wood and Abrams, both drafted in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Wood, at 6-foot-7, has drawn comparisons to Aaron Judge for his power and plate discipline, posting a .360 on-base percentage in 2025. Abrams, an All-Star in 2024, has maintained a .268 average with 45 RBIs, providing speed and defense at shortstop.
For the Giants, the shutout extended a inconsistent stretch, as they hover around .500 and chase a wild-card spot, trailing by four games entering August 11. Verlander’s milestone came in his 522nd start, a career spanning Houston, Detroit and New York, where he won three Cy Young Awards and led the AL in wins four times. The team has relied on veterans like Devers, batting .256 with 29 home runs, but offensive struggles persisted, going 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position
This shutout mirrors Washington’s 7-0 win over San Francisco on April 8, 2024, also featuring strong pitching. As the season winds down, the Nationals aim to evaluate rookies for 2026 contention, while the Giants push for playoffs amid injuries to key players like Blake Snell.