WASHINGTON - The drive from Rochester, N.Y., to Washington, D.C., took seven hours, but after everything Jose Ortiz had already pushed through, that stretch of highway barely registered.
He had spent the last seven years grinding through 559 Minor League games and 77 winter ball contests, and now the payoff finally arrived in one day. Ortiz said the moment hit him hard.
“It made me want to cry because I was thinking about all of the years, the trials, all the tests, all the difficulties that I have gone through to be able to reach the top level,” Ortiz said in Spanish.
Ortiz made sure the day included more than just a debut. The left-handed hitter picked up his first Major League hit in the fourth inning, doubling off right-hander Will Warren after a seven-pitch battle. He drove a 105 mph line drive to the warning track, a loud first statement even if it didn’t leave the yard.
He finished 1-for-2 before being pinch-hit for by right-hander Curtis Mead in the Nationals’ 5-3 loss to the Yankees.
“Super pumped for him,” said manager Blake Butera. “I thought he did a really good job staying inside that ball. He hit it well to left-center field and gave us a chance to get something going that inning.”
Ortiz arrived in Washington as one of five prospects the Nationals got back in the MacKenzie Gore trade with the Rangers in January. The 24-year-old originally signed with Texas as a non-drafted free agent in July 2021, then climbed all the way to Triple-A Round Rock last season.
He was already on the Nationals’ 40-man roster and got a look in Major League Spring Training this year before being optioned to Rochester during the second-to-last week of camp. Once there, he put together a strong run for the Red Wings, hitting .235/.332/.481 with an .813 OPS in 71 games, along with 17 doubles, 59 RBIs, 48 runs scored and 31 walks. He also earned International League Player of the Week honors after batting .476 with 10 RBIs from May 25-31.
At the time of his promotion, Ortiz was hitting .255 with 12 home runs against right-handers, compared to .167 with four homers against southpaws. That split helped explain why the Nationals made the call.
“He started swinging the bat well, particularly against right-handed pitchers,” Butera said. “[We] thought this would be a good opportunity for him.”
Ortiz became the third Nationals player to debut in the majors this season, following right-handers Riley Cornelio on April 24 and Eddy Yean on July 5.
Back in the clubhouse, Ortiz talked about the people who carried him to this point. He singled out his parents, Victor and Rose, and described the sacrifices they made, from juggling his and his siblings’ schedules to leaving work and driving straight to practice through an hour and a half of traffic. Even their flight to Washington on Saturday night ran late, and they didn’t get in until after midnight.
He also made sure to mention his brother Elimelec, who couldn’t make the trip but had been part of the journey all along.
“My mom screamed in joy,” Ortiz said of the news. “It was a very emotional moment.”
After the game, the Nationals optioned Ortiz back to Triple-A as they head into the All-Star break, a roster move they’ve used at other points this season after a Major League or Nationals debut. They will need to add another pitcher after the break.
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