Ryan Zimmerman’s walk-off homer the latest milestone in clutch Nationals career

New York Yankees reliever Andrew Miller stood on the mound Tuesday night and peered in at the plate, where one of the hottest hitters in baseball, Bryce Harper, was waiting for him.

In that moment, Miller likely wasn’t considering the fact that, in a nearby on-deck circle, one of the game’s elite clutch hitters was waiting for him, too.

Though the spotlight in the bottom of the 10th inning followed Harper, the dramatic ending came from Zimmerman. The 30-year-old first baseman smacked a ball down the right-field line and watched it ricochet off the foul pole, a two-run home run that lifted the Washington Nationals over the Yankees, 8-6. It was the 10th walk-off home run of Zimmerman’s career, placing the man known as “Mr. Walkoff” in historic company.

With his performance on Tuesday, Zimmerman became the 19th player in major-league history to record 10 walk-off homers in his career. Only nine players have more, and six of them are in the Hall of Fame.

“Just lucky to be in that situation that much,” Zimmerman said afterward. “It’s obviously special, and something that once I’m done, I think I’ll look back on and appreciate a lot more. Right now, I’m just happy for the win and be able to do something to help us win games. That’s the important thing.”

Zimmerman hit his first walk-off home run on Father’s Day in 2006, with his own father in the stands at RFK Stadium. He hit another to lead the Nationals to their first win at Nationals Park in 2008. Each moment was memorable, with several more sprinkled among his 10 years in D.C.

The home runs grab headlines, but they represent only a slice of what makes Zimmerman one of the game’s best clutch hitters. He is a career .280 hitter with runners in scoring position and two outs, and he has 300 RBI in high-leverage situations, as quantified by Baseball Reference.

In terms of FanGraphs.com’s “Clutch Index,” Zimmerman ranks 10th in the majors since entering the league in 2005, and third among active players behind only Ryan Howard and Yadier Molina. A neutral clutch rating is zero. Zimmerman’s is 3.83.

“It’s amazing,” closer Drew Storen said. “He’s not a real emotional guy. He just doesn’t get caught up in the moment and try to do too much, so he just goes up there and has a professional at-bat, no matter what. Obviously, more times than not, it works out pretty well for him.”

Earlier this season, Zimmerman said there are several factors that lend themselves to success in high-leverage situations, whether it’s with two outs in an inning, runners in scoring position or the game in the balance. Experience helps, certainly, as does a consistent approach at the plate. The old cliche of not trying to do too much at the plate is true, Zimmerman said.

Though much of walk-off hitting is situational, there are tangible characteristics that make a clutch hitter. Manager Matt Williams said clutch hitting is not simply a matter of luck.

“What it means to me is the situation doesn’t become too big for that particular player,” Williams said Wednesday. “Heart rate doesn’t increase. They have the ability to relax, the ability to take an at-bat and realize what the situation is and look for a pitch to execute what you need to execute. That’s clutch.

“For me, we’ve got some guys on our club that can do those types of things, some veteran guys that have been there and done it. They get in a pressure situation or a situation where they have an opportunity to end the game with one swing or make the good pitch or whatever it is. They’ve been there. You only gain that through experience, really, and failing in that situation.”

For Zimmerman, the clutch hitting is a byproduct of consistency. The consistent approach, mentality, routine and rhythm of every day create success in those situations. He knows this, as do his teammates. It’s why Tuesday’s latest heroics were far from a surprise.

“That’s who he is,” Gio Gonzalez said. “He’s the captain. He’s the face of the franchise. He’s fun to watch.”