SEATTLE -- On his first day in the Major Leagues, Nick Raquet couldn’t help but think of the day when he decided to give up the game he loves.

It was late 2019, an eventful time of year for a soon-to-be-24-year-old left-handed pitcher in the Washington Nationals organization who hadn’t advanced past Single-A.

While the big league Nationals were celebrating their first World Series championship in franchise history, Raquet was wondering what to do with his life after being knocked around to an 8.49 ERA for the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League.

“I was done,” said Raquet, now 29. “Like, fully done.”

It was hard to imagine Raquet coming to that crushing conclusion on Monday, as he stood by his locker in the visiting clubhouse of T-Mobile Park, his perfect, never-worn St. Loui

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