When I bat in the ninth inning of a close game, it’s a different feeling. I’m not nervous, but it’s almost like an excited feeling. You want to be the guy who gets that hit.

You have to learn how to control that and realize that the pitcher is just as nervous, if not more so, than you are. I look at it like the guy on the mound is more afraid of making mistakes than I am. And they’re under more pressure to make perfect pitches. There are a lot of places to hit the ball; but they can only throw to one or two places to get you out.

Pitchers aren’t as comfortable facing a guy who has gotten big hits; they’ll try to pitch around them.

Still, it’s hard to control your excitement, especially when you’re playing in front of 40,000 people and everyone is going crazy. You want to swing as hard as you can at the first pitch, but you have to realize you can’t do that.

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I watch how a guy like Derek Jeter reacts in these situations. He doesn’t change his approach. If he’s patient all game and is taking pitches, then just because it’s the ninth and he needs to get a hit, he won’t swing at the first pitch. He sticks with his plan and doesn’t get caught up in the moment and do things out of character.

That’s what I remind myself before I come to bat, and to just stay calm.

A hit just feels better at this time. In the late innings, the crowds always get crazy anytime someone gets a hit. And hitting becomes contagious. When you get a hit, the person on deck feels like they need to get a hit. Even if you don’t get the winning hit, there’s a sense of satisfaction when you get any hit late in the game.

As told to The Examiner’s John Keim.

Nats third baseman Ryan Zimmerman is one of baseball’s rising stars and, at 22, the face of the franchise. He’ll share his thoughts with The Examiner’s readers each week throughout the baseball season.