CINCINNATI — Nathaniel Lowe, the Washington Nationals’ first baseman, found himself in a wrestling match with a tarp instead of a gorilla on May 2 at Great American Ball Park. The Reds were hosting the Nats in the series opener, and in the seventh inning, Cincinnati’s Santiago Espinal sent a foul pop-up slicing toward the first-base stands. Lowe, all grit and hustle, charged after it. He didn’t slow down. Not for the wall. Not for the tarp draped in a Gorilla Glue ad. And definitely not for the front-row seats he ended up sprawled across.
The play unfolded in a flash. Espinal’s foul ball hooked into the first row, just beyond the rolled-up tarp along the field’s edge. Lowe, a 29-year-old Georgia native who’s been a steady glove for the Nationals, sprinted full-tilt, eyes locked on the ball. He barreled into the tarp, his momentum carrying him over the low wall and into the seats. Fans gasped. The crowd buzzed. Broadcasters on FanDuel Sports Network caught the moment live, their voices a mix of shock and relief. “Oh, look out! Oh mercy,” one called out. “This is just painful to watch.”
Lowe hit the tarp hard, his 6-foot-4 frame flipping awkwardly into the stands. For a second, it looked like the “gorilla” on the ad had won. But the veteran first baseman, who’s played through worse in his six-year MLB career, wasn’t down for long. Teammates and stadium staff rushed over, helping him to his feet. He shook it off, stayed in the game, and didn’t miss a beat. No injuries were reported, and the Nationals’ dugout exhaled.
The moment sparked chatter, with MLB’s official social media accounts jumping on the clip. They shared a video of Lowe’s spill, captioning it “1 man vs. a gorilla,” a nod to the Gorilla Glue branding plastered across the tarp. The Reds, who notched a win that night, kept their focus on the game, but the incident became the evening’s viral sideshow.
Lowe’s no stranger to tough plays. Drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2016, he’s carved out a solid career, bouncing from the Rays to the Texas Rangers before landing with the Nationals. Last season, he hit .265 with 16 homers, proving he’s got the bat to match his glove. But on May 2, it was his hustle—and his unexpected tumble—that stole the spotlight.
The game itself was a Reds victory, part of a three-game set at GABP. Espinal’s at-bat ended without a catch, and the foul ball was just another play in a long season. For Lowe, it was a reminder: sometimes, the fight isn’t against the other team. It’s against a tarp with a gorilla staring you down.
No official statements from the Nationals or Reds addressed the incident. No medical reports surfaced. Lowe played on, and the game rolled forward. Just another night in baseball, where even a routine foul chase can turn into a story.