Nationals open new stadium by beating the Braves
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Washington Nationals opened their new $611 million ballpark with a dramatic 3-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves in baseball's first stateside game of the season on Sunday.
Ryan Zimmerman belted a solo two-out homer into the left-center field stands in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Nationals the victory.
The Nationals delighted the home crowd by scoring two runs in the first off starter Tim Hudson on a run-scoring double by Nick Johnson and an RBI single by Austin Kearns.
Atlanta third baseman Chipper Jones trimmed the lead to 2-1 with a fourth-inning solo home run to left after Nationals starter Odalis Perez hung a fast-ball out over the plate.
The Braves tied it at 2-2 in the top of the ninth when Mark Teixeria scored from third on a two-out passed ball by Washington catch Paul Lo Duca.
Baseball's regular season started last week in Japan when the Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athletics split a pair of games.
(Writing by Steve Ginsburg; Editing by Ossian Shine)
