This story was excerpted from Jessica Camerato’s Nationals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
WASHINGTON — Jared Simpson was at Men’s Wearhouse in Rochester, N.Y., getting fitted for a suit to wear to his friend’s wedding, when he suddenly found out he’d need another new wardrobe.
Clothing that gave the vibe, “I’m going to the big leagues.”
“I’m not the most fashionable, I would say,” Simpson admitted. “But I got myself a collared shirt, I got two pairs of pants and some shoes.”
The store, located in the same city as the Nationals Triple-A affiliate, knew just what to do as Simpson explained the situation.
“I’m like, ‘I play baseball, this is happening, I need some help,’” the 26-year-old Simpson said. “They helped me out. … They pulled someone from the back.”
A No. 72 uniform was waiting for Simpson at his locker when he arrived at Nationals Park on Tuesday afternoon, the day Major League rosters expanded to 28 players.
Simpson donned the white jersey as the left-hander impressively hurled three scoreless innings against the National League East-leading Braves, earning the win in his big league debut.
“He just looked calm, cool and collected,” said manager Blake Butera. “When you see a guy out there that seems pretty easygoing, it makes you feel good when you give him the ball.”
Simpson entered the game in relief of starter Jake Irvin in the top of the fifth inning with runners on first and second and no outs. Simpson threw a changeup for the fourth pitch against Drake Baldwin to get him to ground into a double play. Simpson then threw another changeup to Ronald Acuña Jr. in an 0-2 count, resulting in a fly out to center field.
“I was warming up and I saw them get on, so the heartbeat obviously goes a little bit higher,” said Simpson. “But [reliever Erik] Tolman just told me to breathe; it’s the same stuff every single day. So, I took that to note and once I got out there, it was just me and [catcher Harry] Ford working.”
Simpson’s biggest “wow” moment came while facing his first batter, Matt Olson, in the sixth inning. Olson’s first-pitch fly out into foul territory is one Simpson will definitely remember.
“I used to use Olson in ‘MLB The Show,’” Simpson said. “I was like, ‘That’s kind of cool, I’m facing him right now.’”
The Nationals selected Simpson in the eighth round of the 2023 Draft out of the University of Iowa. Unlike his fellow September callup, Yohandy Morales, Simpson had never been invited to Major League Spring Training.
Simpson began the season in Double-A Harrisburg, and earned a promotion to Triple-A Rochester on July 19. He posted a 2.30 ERA with 73 strikeouts and an 11.20 strikeout rate in 58 2/3 innings. In 44 games (10 starts) across both levels, he threw 36 scoreless outings.
“Jared’s been great, especially as of late,” said president of baseball operations Paul Toboni. “Once he got the call to Triple-A, he was awesome. I think the addition of the two-seam for him has been really effective and has helped unlock another level of potential for him. We’re hoping that the performance continues up here.”
Simpson became the ninth pitcher and third reliever in Nationals team history (2005-present) to earn the win in his Major League debut.
“I thought I was going to make my debut [as a closer],” said Simpson. “I thought I was going to walk out to a cool song with the lights flashing and stuff like that, but I will take this any day of the week.”