Washington
Washington Nationals news & notes: MacKenzie Gore Ks 8 in seven strong; Nats beat Mariners, 6-1 in series opener…
GORE STRIKES OUT 8 IN 7 IP:
MacKenzie Gore gave up a leadoff home run on the second pitch he threw in last night’s game, a 97.1 MPH fastball J.P. Crawford hit 399 ft. to center field to start the series in the nation’s capital. It was the only run, and one of just four hits, which Gore allowed overall, going seven strong in the start, which ended up being a seven-inning, 98-pitch outing in which he struck out eight and walked just one batter.
Nationals’ batters provided plenty of support for their starter, with Luis García, Jr. hitting a three-run home run in the fourth, Keibert Ruiz hitting a two-run home run in the sixth, and finally Eddie Rosario homering in the eighth as Washington ran away with the first of three against Seattle in Washington, D.C.
Gore gave up a two-out single in the second, a two-out walk in the third, a leadoff single in the sixth, and another one in the seventh, but stranded all four runners to reach base after the homer, generating 17 swinging and 18 called strikes on the night, with eight whiffs and 10 called strikes on his four-seamer, which he threw 55% of the time, averaging 96.9 MPH on the pitch, and mixing in his curve (26%; 6 whiffs, 5 called strikes), changeup (10%, 2/2), and slider (9%; 1/1).
The Nationals’ southpaw talked after the latest turn in the rotation about moving on quickly after the leadoff home run.
“You never want to lead off a game with a homer, but just [focus on] the next guy,” Gore told reporters after earning his 3rd win (3-4, 3.04 ERA, 3.16 FIP, 2.87 BB/9, 10.46 K/9, 0.84 HR/9 in 53 1⁄3 IP), as quoted by MLB.com’s Jessica Camerato.
“What had happened had happened,” he said.
“After that [home run], he controlled the game really good,” catcher Keibert Ruiz said after guiding the lefty through his outing. “He executed the plan.”
“You hope that it is [a long outing]; you hope that things don’t blow up,” Davey Martinez said in his own postgame presser:
“But as he got to that fourth inning and I’m watching his pitch count, I’m watching what he’s doing, I thought then that he can go deep in this game, which would be great. And he did. Going seven innings is really good, especially for our bullpen. We’ve got a lot of games coming up, so we’re going to need our starting pitchers to go a little deeper in games.”
“He was attacking the strike zone,” Martinez said when asked what was working for his left-handed starter.
“He got early outs. He pitched really, really well. I mean, his fastball was electric. He threw breaking balls when he needed to, but he really worked ahead.”
Gore’s curve was particularly effective late in the outing, the manager said.
“He started getting through it a little bit better later in the game. That sometimes happens when he gets a little tired, that you’re able to focus and get the ball down a little bit better, but a lot of times the fastballs will tend to creep up, and the breaking balls will tend to go down a little bit. That last pitch he threw was phenomenal.”
The final pitch was a 3-2 curve to Jorge Polanco which got the Mariners’ infielder swinging for the eight strikeout of the night for the Nationals’ starter.
“After throwing two fastballs, throwing a curveball like that was pretty good.”
Washington
Deputies shoot armed suspect in Leesburg Walmart parking lot
Deputies shot an armed suspect in the parking lot of a Walmart store in Leesburg, Virginia, late Tuesday morning, authorities say.
Detectives, deputies and special agents from the FBI had tracked the suspect down after he tried to rob the Bank of America at Dulles Crossing on Monday, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office said. The suspect, who still hasn’t been named, didn’t get any money before taking off from the bank.
Authorities found the suspect was parked at the back of the Walmart parking lot just before noon Tuesday.
Deputies pulled up behind the suspect’s blue sedan at the back of the Walmart parking lot about 11:40 a.m. Tuesday. As they approached, the suspect got out with a gun, Sheriff Mike Chapman said.
Deputies then fired their guns at the suspect, hitting him. Chapman did not say how many times the suspect was shot or give specific information about his injuries.
Medics took the suspect to a hospital.
No deputies were injured, the sheriff’s office said.
Chapman said it was too early in the investigation to say if the suspect fired his gun or how many officers were involved in the shooting.
Stay with News4 for updates to this developing story.
Washington
The American story projected on the Washington Monument came from North Texas
Steve Deitz walks with the energy of a coach; however, he does not hide that he and his team are digital nerds and storytellers who specialize in large-scale visual content and software development. More specifically, the 48-year-old makes a living creating the wow factor at his agency, “900lbs.”
“We started the company working for the Dallas Mavericks, telling large-scale visual content on the Jumbotron, and next thing you know, Activision, Blizzard calls,” he said. “We get to work in the Perot Museum on the biggest exhibit in the museum, and then fast-forward another 12 years, and here we are now.”
His current project is wrapping up in the nation’s capital — sorta. Since Dec.31, projections of America’s story have been given to his agency.
“We’re telling the story of the 250-year birthday of America in the biggest way possible on the facade of the Washington Monument on all four sides,” Deitz said.
He said they started testing out the results a couple of nights before New Year’s Eve. Scenes from Thomas Edison’s light bulb, the Empire State Building, the Model T Ford, and the Industrial Revolution, to name a few, are projected onto the Washington Monument.
Deitz gives his team a ton of credit from the moment he received the call about the project. He also thinks back to the times when he was an athlete who loved to draw in Merkel, Texas. The kid who dared to dream beyond the city limits and outside of the box. The CEO is giving advice to that child who may need a little inspiration.
“Hard work, perseverance, dedication, surround yourself with a team of brilliant people that are way smarter than you, and do the best you possibly can,” he said.
Deitz said there is a likelihood his team’s creations will return to the nation’s capital this year.
Washington
Tracking crime in the DMV: Some areas see drop in violent crime, homicide
It is not the way any homicide squad wants to start an already busy new year.
Prince George’s County police Sunday were trying to figure out who was found dead in a car behind a strip center overnight and why. Police, who responded after a call about gun shots, told News4 they’re still searching for the most basic details.
It comes just a day after three people were shot and killed at a Temple Hills banquet hall early Saturday morning. Police told News4 that investigation is active and showing signs of promise.
But the busy start somewhat hides the bigger picture about crime in the area.
Despite the tough start to 2026, homicide in Prince George’s County was down 40% in 2025 percent compared to 2024, and violent crime on a whole was down 19%, both through mid-December according to Prince George’s County police.
In D.C. is a similar story.
“Now we have no crime in Washington, DC. We have no killing,” said President Donald Trump Saturday during a news conference about action in Venezuela.
While the crime rate is not nearly as good as Trump has repeatedly said, the District recorded five homicides in December and 126 in all of 2025. That’s down 32% over 2024. Violent crime is down 29%, according to D.C .police crime statistics.
In Fairfax, homicide is down 14% — but the county only had 12 total — and violent crime dropped 4%, according to the county’s online reporting.
-
World1 week agoHamas builds new terror regime in Gaza, recruiting teens amid problematic election
-
News1 week agoFor those who help the poor, 2025 goes down as a year of chaos
-
Business1 week agoInstacart ends AI pricing test that charged shoppers different prices for the same items
-
World1 week agoPodcast: The 2025 EU-US relationship explained simply
-
Business1 week agoApple, Google and others tell some foreign employees to avoid traveling out of the country
-
Technology1 week agoChatGPT’s GPT-5.2 is here, and it feels rushed
-
Health1 week agoDid holiday stress wreak havoc on your gut? Doctors say 6 simple tips can help
-
Politics1 week ago‘Unlucky’ Honduran woman arrested after allegedly running red light and crashing into ICE vehicle