CHICAGO (Interstat) — On a blustery, overcast Thursday that turned to evening at Wrigley Field, a new era for the Washington Nationals began with a resounding and unexpected bang. Brady House, Joey Wiemer and Jacob Young homered, and the Nationals erupted for six runs in the fourth inning to throttle the Chicago Cubs 10-4, securing the first managerial win for 33-year-old Blake Butera.

The victory, witnessed by an opening day crowd of 39,712, defied pregame projections that heavily favored the Cubs. Interstat’s ELO system gave Chicago a 61.3% probability to win, and the game simulator predicted a low-scoring 4-1 Washington loss. Instead, the Nationals’ offense exploded, combining for 11 hits and capitalizing on sporadic Cubs pitching that issued a staggering 64 balls against just 14 strikes put in play.

The game’s decisive and most important sequence unfolded in the top of the fourth inning, turning a narrow 2-1 deficit into a commanding lead. The Nationals sent 11 men to the plate against Cubs starter Ben Brown and reliever Matthew Boyd. Andrés Chaparro ignited the rally with a leadoff double, followed by a Brady House single. Daylen Lile then tied the game with a sharp RBI single to right.

After a walk to Joey Wiemer loaded the bases, shortstop CJ Abrams delivered the critical blow. On a 2-2 count, Abrams lined a single to right field, scoring two runs to give Washington a lead it would not relinquish. The Cubs challenged a tag play at second on Abrams, but the call was upheld, leaving runners at the corners with one out. Nasim Nuñez’s groundout brought home another run, and after a Keibert Ruiz single, Jacob Young capped the offensive deluge. The center fielder launched a two-run homer to right field, his first of the season, stretching the lead to 8-2 and effectively silencing the Wrigley faithful.

The outburst made a winner of Brad Lord, who earned the victory in relief. Lord entered in the fourth and worked 2 1/3 innings, allowing one run on four hits. The loss was charged to Matthew Boyd, who failed to record an out while allowing three of the inherited runners to score during the fateful fourth.

Washington had opened the scoring in the second on a solo home run from Joey Wiemer. The Cubs briefly seized momentum in the third against Nationals starter Cade Cavalli. A walk to Dansby Swanson and a flyout set the table for Michael Busch, who singled him home. After an Alex Bregman walk, Pete Crow-Armstrong delivered an RBI single, though Bregman was thrown out at third to end the inning, leaving Chicago ahead 2-1.

That lead was short-lived, evaporating completely in the Nationals’ six-run fourth. Chicago scratched across a run in the bottom of the fourth on a Dansby Swanson groundout after a Brady House throwing error, and another in the seventh on a Pete Crow-Armstrong bunt single that scored Michael Busch, who had doubled.

Washington added insurance in the ninth against Cubs reliever Jacob Webb. After an error and a force out, Brady House punctuated the opening day rout with a two-run homer to right, finalizing the 10-4 margin.

The Nationals’ bullpen sealed the win with scoreless work from Cionel Pérez, who struck out two in a perfect eighth, and Clayton Beeter, who worked around two walks in a scoreless bottom of the eighth. The Cubs threatened in that frame, putting two on with one out, but Beeter struck out pinch-hitter Michael Conforto and got Michael Busch to ground out.

For the Cubs, Michael Busch provided a bright spot, going 3 for 4 with a walk, two doubles, an RBI and two runs scored. Beyond Busch, the Chicago offense was stifled, managing only eight hits and going 3 for 12 with runners in scoring position.

The game, which took 2 hours and 59 minutes to complete, saw the combined score of 14 easily eclipse the pregame over/under line of 8.5.

The Nationals, embarking on a rebuild under new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni and manager Blake Butera, improved to 1-0. The Cubs, favored to contend, begin the season 0-1. The two teams will continue their opening series at Wrigley Field on Saturday and Sunday before Washington travels to Philadelphia for a three-game set beginning Monday. The Cubs will host the Los Angeles Angels for three games starting Monday.