James Wood’s Historic Night: Why MLB Pitchers Feared Him Enough to Intentionally Walk Him 4 Times in a Single Game

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Watching James Wood take four intentional walks in a single game felt like revisiting a rare piece of baseball history — something you don’t see often, and when you do, it sticks in your mind. Wood etched his name alongside legends like Barry Bonds, becoming the first player since Bonds’ heyday to be deliberately passed four times in one contest. The Nationals edged out the Angels 7-4 in an extra-inning thriller, but the spotlight belonged to Wood’s uncanny knack for drawing those strategic passes.

To put it in perspective, Bonds once received four intentional walks in four separate games back in 2004. Since 1955, a handful of elite hitters — names like Roger Maris, Garry Templeton, Manny Ramirez, and Andre Dawson (who famously earned five intentional passes in a single outing in 1990) — have pulled off a similar feat. Wood’s four intentional walks weren’t just tossed out casually; they came at crucial moments with runners perched on second and third base across the fifth, seventh, ninth, and even deep into the 11th inning. That’s a testament to the respect—and maybe fear—he commands at the plate.

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ANAHEIM, Calif. — Washington slugger James Wood became the first major leaguer since Barry Bonds to be intentionally walked four times in a game in the Nationals’ 7-4, 11-inning win over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday.

Bonds was intentionally walked four times in four different games in 2004. The only other players since at least 1955 to be intentionally walked four times in a game are Wood, Roger Maris, Garry Templeton, Manny Ramirez and Andre Dawson — who drew five intentional passes for the Chicago Cubs against Cincinnati on May 22, 1990.

Wood’s intentional walks came with men on second and third in the fifth, a man on second in the seventh, a man on third in the ninth and a man on third in the 11th.