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Nationals defeat Astros on opening day at Ballpark of the Palm Beaches

Nats homer in the bottom of 9th with 2 outs
Posted at 6:19 AM, Feb 28, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-28 17:48:20-05

Baseball fans weren't disappointed on opening day of Ballpark of the Palm Beaches as the Nationals defeated the Astros 4-3 with a thrilling walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth.

Nats outfielder Michael Taylor ended the game on a two-out homer that just stayed fair down the left field line.

MLB veteran Carlos Beltran debuted in an Astros uniform for the first time in more than a decade and blasted a two-run home run in the fourth inning for the first round-tripper at the new park. 

The park, located at 5444 Haverhill Rd. in West Palm Beach, used to be the site of a garbage dump.  Now, it's a beautiful 6,500-seat stadium that was built in 15 months.

 

A ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, the owners of both teams and other local and county officials highlighted festivities.  

A flyover by the U.S. Coast Guard from Air Station Miami also thrilled the crowd.

This was the first spring training game in West Palm Beach since the Atlanta Braves and Montreal Expos departed in 1997.