Nationals Beat Braves 3-2 on Home Run in Bottom of Ninth Inning

March 30 (Bloomberg) -- Ryan Zimmerman hit a home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Washington Nationals beat the Atlanta Braves 3-2 in Major League Baseball's season-opening game in the U.S.

Zimmerman's solo homer to centerfield off Braves reliever Peter Moylan gave the Nationals the victory in their first game at their new 41,888-seat stadium. The $611 million ballpark sits along the Anacostia River and has views of Washington landmarks such as the U.S. Capitol and the Washington monument.

The Nationals' victory came after the Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athletics opened baseball's 2008 regular season with a two-game series in Tokyo on March 25-26.

Tomorrow is the first full day of games, with eight games scheduled in the National League and six in the American League.

Washington took a 2-0 first-inning lead on a run-scoring double by Nick Johnson, who then scored on a single by Austin Kearns. Atlanta pulled within 2-1 in the fourth inning on a solo homer by Chipper Jones and tied the game in the top of the ninth when pinch-runner Martin Prado scored on a two-out passed ball by Washington catcher Paul Lo Duca.

To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Matuszewski in New York at matuszewski@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Sillup at msillup@bloomberg.net