BALTIMORE (AP) — James Wood's first chance to play at Camden Yards was overshadowed by another dandy debut, although not by much.
Andrés Chaparro doubled three times in his first big league game to lead the Washington Nationals to a 9-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night. Chaparro became the fourth player in major league history with at least three doubles in his debut — the first since Nick Evans of the New York Mets hit three at Colorado on May 24, 2008.
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Washington Nationals' James Wood (29) advances toward home base to score on an RBI double hit by Andres Chaparro during the eighth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Washington Nationals third baseman Ildemaro Vargas (14) and Washington Nationals left fielder James Wood (29) celebrate their team's win over the Baltimore Orioles after a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Washington Nationals' James Wood (29) slides into second base in front of Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday (7) after hitting a double during the eighth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Rolling Rookies: Chaparro hits 3 doubles in debut while Wood produces another 4-hit game for Nats
Rolling Rookies: Chaparro hits 3 doubles in debut while Wood produces another 4-hit game for Nats
Washington Nationals' Andres Chaparro (19) celebrates on second base in front of Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday (7) after hitting a double during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
As for Wood, all he did was produce his second four-hit game in a span of 18 days.
“Who?” manager Dave Martinez joked when asked about Wood's big night.
Indeed, Chaparro stole the show to some extent from the 6-foot-7 Wood, who was on base for all three of Chaparro's doubles. The Nationals acquired the infielder from Arizona for right-hander Dylan Floro last month. Chaparro finally reached the majors at age 25 and had his parents, two brothers, a sister-in-law and his wife at the game.
“Last year if it would have happened, especially around this time, they were in Venezuela. I wouldn't have been able to have them here,” Chaparro said through a translator. “God works magic in different ways, and they were able to be here.”
Chaparro doubled Wood over to third in the fourth inning, and they both scored on sacrifice flies to give the Nationals a 4-2 lead. In the sixth, he doubled Chaparro to third again, and again both ended up scoring.
In the eighth, Wood doubled for his fourth hit and Chaparro doubled him home for an 8-2 lead.
The game included two rookies who have spent time near the top of prospect lists — Wood and Baltimore second baseman Jackson Holliday. Wood singled home the game’s first run in the first, and with men on first and third, Wood took off for second. He was caught by a pickoff throw from Trevor Rogers, but Wood stayed in a rundown long enough for Juan Yepez to score from third before the third out.
Wood is a Rockville, Maryland, native and went to Camden Yards growing up.
“Nice try. He's a National,” Martinez joked when that was mentioned after the game. “He told me he loves coming here.”
Wood made his debut July 1 and had four hits July 27 against St. Louis. Now he's repeated the feat.
“I was just seeing the ball well and was trying to get good pitches to hit,” Wood said. “I was trying to sit on the fastball. I was able to see a couple sliders early, so I sort of knew how they were going to break.”
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Washington Nationals' James Wood (29) advances toward home base to score on an RBI double hit by Andres Chaparro during the eighth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Washington Nationals third baseman Ildemaro Vargas (14) and Washington Nationals left fielder James Wood (29) celebrate their team's win over the Baltimore Orioles after a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Washington Nationals' James Wood (29) slides into second base in front of Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday (7) after hitting a double during the eighth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Rolling Rookies: Chaparro hits 3 doubles in debut while Wood produces another 4-hit game for Nats
Rolling Rookies: Chaparro hits 3 doubles in debut while Wood produces another 4-hit game for Nats
Washington Nationals' Andres Chaparro (19) celebrates on second base in front of Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday (7) after hitting a double during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A major winter storm that slammed Texas and blanketed the northern Gulf Coast with record-breaking snow moved east Wednesday, spreading heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain across parts of the Florida Panhandle, Georgia and eastern Carolinas.
The weather warning areas included big cities like Jacksonville, Florida, which is expected to see snow, sleet and accumulating ice into Wednesday. The Jacksonville International Airport closed because of the weather Tuesday evening and said it planned to reopen at midday Wednesday. Schools canceled classes, and government offices were closed Wednesday.
“We are expecting some winter weather we're not used to in Northeast Florida," the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office posted on Facebook. ”The safest place you can be Tuesday night and Wednesday is at home!"
In eastern North Carolina, drifting snow was expected with near-blizzard conditions in the state’s Outer Banks, where up to 8 inches (20.3 centimeters) could fall.
Dangerous below-freezing temperatures with even colder wind chills were also expected to last over much of the week in the region. Authorities say three people have died in the cold weather.
The heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain hitting parts of the Deep South came as a blast of Arctic air plunged much of the Midwest and the eastern U.S. into a deep freeze.
It had been more than a decade since snow last fell on New Orleans. Tuesday's rare snowfall set a record in the city, where 10 inches (25 centimeters) fell in some places, far surpassing its record of 2.7 inches (6.8 centimeters) set Dec. 31, 1963, the National Weather Service said.
“Wow, what a snow day!,” the weather agency said in a social media post. “It’s safe to say this was a historic snowfall for much of the area.”
Snow closed highways, grounded nearly all flights and canceled school for more than a million students more accustomed to hurricane dismissals than snow days.
Snow fell in Houston and prompted the first ever blizzard warnings for several coastal counties near the Texas-Louisiana border. Snow covered the white-sand beaches of normally sunny vacation spots, including Gulf Shores, Alabama, and Pensacola Beach, Florida.
“Believe it or not, in the state of Florida we’re mobilizing snowplows,” said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
People made the most of it — from a snowball fight on a Gulf Shores beach to sledding in a laundry basket in Montgomery, Alabama, to pool-tubing down a Houston hill.
In New Orleans, urban skiing was attempted along Bourbon Street, a priest and nuns engaged in a snowball fight outside a suburban church, snowboarders shredded behind a golf cart, and people went sledding down the snow-covered Mississippi River levees on kayaks, cardboard boxes and inflatable alligators.
High school teacher David Delio and his two daughters glided down the levee on a yoga mat and a boogie board.
“This is a white-out in New Orleans, this is a snow-a-cane,” Delio said. “We’ve had tons of hurricane days but never a snow day.”
The nuns at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic School near New Orleans encouraged their students last week to pray for the snow day they received Tuesday, the Rev. Tim Hedrick said. The priest said he invited the nuns to make snow angels, and they challenged him to a snowball fight that has since received tens of thousands of views on social media.
“It’s a fun way to show that priests and sisters are humans, too, and they can have fun,” Hedrick said.
Mobile, Alabama, hit 5.4 inches (13.7 centimeters) Tuesday, topping the city’s one-day snowfall record of 5 inches (12.7 centimeters), set Jan. 24, 1881, and nearing its all-time snowfall record of 6 inches (15.5 centimeters) in 1895, the weather service said.
More than 2,300 flights to, from or within the U.S. were canceled Tuesday, according to online tracker FlightAware.com. Both Houston airports suspended flight operations, and nearly every flight was canceled at New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport. Most airlines planned to resume operations Wednesday.
The NWS said up to 4 inches (10 centimeters) of snow fell in the Houston area. Texas transportation officials said more than 20 snowplows were in use across nearly 12,000 lane miles in the Houston area, which lacks its own city or county plows.
Ahead of the storm, governors in Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and even Florida — the Sunshine State — declared states of emergency and many school systems canceled classes Tuesday. School closures were planned in some coastal communities in North and South Carolina.
In the Texas capital, two people died in the cold weather, according to a statement from the city of Austin. No details were provided, but the city said emergency crews had responded to more than a dozen “cold exposure” calls.
Officials said one person has died from hypothermia in Georgia.
A state of emergency was also declared in at least a dozen New York counties with up to 2 feet (60 centimeters) of lake-effect snow and extreme cold expected around Lake Ontario and Lake Erie through Wednesday.
In Southern California, where blazes have killed at least 28 people and burned thousands of homes, dry conditions and strong Santa Ana winds remained a concern.
Associated Press writers Sarah Brumfield in Cockeysville, Maryland; Jack Brook in New Orleans; Sara Cline in Key Largo, Florida; Julie Walker in New York; Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut; Bruce Shipkowski in Toms River, New Jersey; Corey Williams in Detroit; Kate Payne in Tallahassee, Florida; Nadia Lathan in Austin, Texas; Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia; Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; Charlotte Kramon in Atlanta; Safiyah Riddle in Montgomery, Alabama; Makiya Seminera in Raleigh, North Carolina; Jonathan Mattise in Nashville, Tennessee; and Lisa Baumann in Bellingham, Washington, contributed.
Motorists drive in heavy snow on N. Davis Highway on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Pensacola, Fla. (Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Gumbo Carlin, off New Orleans, takes a photo of his wife Tezrah Carlin in front of Jackson Square during a very rare snowstorm in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Johnathan Duval, visiting from Jacksonville, Fla., takes in the snow during a very rare snowstorm in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
People walk on Bourbon Street during a very rare snowstorm in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
A man bundles up as he walks along the shore of snow-covered Lake Michigan during a cold day in Chicago, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Heavy snow falls onto the Florida Welcome Center on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 in Pensacola, Fla. (Luis Santana /Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Icicles hang from a sign pointing the way to Houston during an icy winter storm on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 in Galveston, Texas. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Cars backup near a hill with snow and ice on the road during a winter storm on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Tucker, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Workers plow snow off the roadways at the closed George Bush Intercontinental Airport Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
People walk in the French Quarter as snow falls in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Kristyn Tramel walks her dog Bluey with her 8-year-old son Penn in the French Quarter, in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
A person pushes a wheelchair across Bourbon Street as snow falls in the French Quarter in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
A person walks on a snow covered street Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Adrian Santos, left, and Aaron Kenigsberg make a snowman along Buffalo Bayou in downtown Houston, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Alvaro Perez, who spent a night at the closed George Bush Intercontinental Airport, waits for the next flight out Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
People shovel snow off the sidewalk Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in downtown Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
People walk by the empty Cafe Du Monde restaurant in the French Quarter in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Kristyn Tramel walks her dog Bluey with her 8-year-old son Penn in the French Quarter as they stop at the memorial for the victims of a deadly truck attack on New Year's Day in the French Quarter in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
People take a walk in the neighborhood Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Abel Allen, in a Spider-Man suit, and Angel Tircuit walk on a snow covered bridge in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Braedon McCants hits Thomas Pickell with a snowball as they snowball fights at Rice University campus Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Cars travel on a snow covered highway Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
An empty terminal is seen at the closed at George Bush Intercontinental Airport Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
All cancelled flights are shown on the flight board at the closed George Bush Intercontinental Airport Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
A United Airlines plane is parked at the closed George Bush Intercontinental Airport Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Icicles hang down from a vehicle during an icy winter storm in Galveston, Texas, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Snow falls as the memorial for the victims of a deadly truck attack on New Year's Day in the French Quarter is seen in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
A person stops to take a picture at Jackson Square as snow falls in the French Quarter in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
People take a walk in the neighborhood Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
People walk around on Bourbon Street as snow falls in the French Quarter in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
A person sleds down a hill at Herman Park Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Heavy snow falls onto palm trees and the Florida Welcome Center on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 in Pensacola, Fla. (Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
A man walks down Bourbon Street during a very rare snowstorm in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
People walk as snow falls in New Orleans, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
This photo provided by Michael Grimes of 409 Dronegraphy shows snow over Galveston Tx on the morning of Jan. 21, 2025. (Michael Grimes/409 Dronegraphy via AP)