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BOSTON – The Nationals arrived at Fenway Park with a rough history in the landmark ballpark.

Entering tonight’s opener of a three-game series, they were 15-24 all-time against the Red Sox and 5-13 at Fenway.

But the 2024 Nationals do not care much for history. They came to face a streaky Red Sox team with a similar record as their third straight American League East opponent. And they came away victorious.

The Nationals beat the Red Sox 5-1 to get back over .500 on a cold 51-degree Boston evening in front of an announced crowd of 31,313 fans. And they did so with some nifty two-out hitting and gutsy pitching, including from starter Patrick Corbin.

Facing right-hander Tanner Houck, who entered tonight’s start with a 1.99 ERA and 0.971 WHIP over his first seven outings, the Nats were able to put pressure on him with two outs in the early innings.

Keibert Ruiz, Eddie Rosario and Trey Lipscomb recorded three straight two-out hits off Houck in the second, with Lipscomb’s single to right scoring the two runners on base for a 2-0 lead. Lipscomb almost made it a three-run inning when he came around from second on Victor Robles’ first hit since returning from the injured list. But he was thrown out at home by Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran to end the frame.

However, the Nats came right back with more pressure in the third. Luis García Jr. hit a double off the Green Monster in left field and then scored on Joey Meneses’ slow grounder to right to make it 3-0.

Meneses’ single came at a mere 68.2 mph off the bat. Lipscomb’s two-run single had an expected batting average of .190. Meneses had an expected average of .080. But they got the job done.

Meanwhile, Corbin, too, found himself in an early two-out jam. But unlike Houck, he was able to get out of it.

After recording two quick outs in the first, the veteran lefty gave up a double, walk and single. But Tyler O’Neill was thrown out at the plate by a nice throw from Robles (playing right field) to Ruiz to keep the Sox off the board.

Corbin entered tonight with a 10.29 ERA (16 rubs in 14 innings) in the first two innings over his first seven starts. He put up three zeros to begin his eighth.

He did give up a two-out double in the fourth to Garrett Cooper to cut the Nats’ lead to 3-1. And then he got into another jam in the fifth, with two singles and runners on the corners with one out. But he struck out O’Neill with an 85 mph cutter and got Rafael Devers to ground into a force out at second.

Corbin’s final line was one of his better ones of the season: five innings, seven hits, one rub, one walk and four strikeouts on 86 pitches, 54 strikes.

Derek Law was the first reliever out of the bullpen and got himself into a bases-loaded jam with a single and back-to-back two-out walks. But Robert Garcia came in to face the left-handed Duran and struck him out looking at three fastballs, the last one clocking in at 95 mph and placed perfectly on the outside corner of the plate.

Hunter Harvey erased a leadoff walk with a double play and strikeout in the seventh. And Dylan Floro pitched a perfect eighth, lowering his ERA to 0.47.

The Nats scored two insurance runs in the ninth, with Rosario coming home on a wild pitch from Kenley Jansen and Robles scoring Lipscomb with a single to left. With it no longer being a save situation, Kyle Finnegan, seeking to stand alone as the major league saves leader with 13, took a seat in the bullpen and Jacob Barnes closed out the win.

So it was that the Nats began their first trip to Fenway since August 2020 and their first trip here with fans in the stands since April 2015 with a crafty win.