Drew Storen Will Get a Big Boy Helmet Someday

The sartorial deficiencies of the Washington Nationals are well documented, what with their occasional inability to spell the team name correctly on their uniforms. Not having a batting helmet ready for a rookie reliever may not be as glaring a misstep, but it certainly isn’t unexpected for the organization.↵↵Not to worry, as long as there are bat boys around. At least that’s the lesson to take away from Drew Storen’s first Major League at-bat and base hit on Sunday. The second of the Nationals two 2009 first-round picks (who is only slightly less heralded than the first one, but still generating his share of anticipation) was looking for a batting helmet with ear flaps on each side. Starter John Lannan offered his, but the helmet wouldn’t fit Storen. ↵

↵↵As it so happened, the bat boy’s did.↵

↵↵⇥“The bat boy was standing there,” Storen said. “I was like, ‘Hey, give me your helmet.’ ” ↵⇥↵⇥And so Storen walked to the plate for his first professional at-bat wearing the bat boy’s helmet. Against Millwood, Storen batted left-handed. He fell behind 0-2, the second strike on a hellacious uppercut hack. (“I was getting my money’s worth on that cut,” Storen said. “I missed that second pitch by about two or three feet.”)↵⇥

↵⇥↵⇥On the next pitch, Storen decided he would shorten his swing. He flicked an 0-2 curveball into the opposite field, just over shortstop Lugo’s head, for the first hit of his career.↵⇥

↵↵↵All in the batting helmet, of course. Also, in matters more germane to his career as a pitcher, Storen retired five of the six hitters he faced against the Orioles, with a walk as the lone exception. If he keeps doing this well, the Nats might even make sure he has all his equipment.↵

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