Aaron Barrett Wins National Anthem Standoff Against Brandon Barnes

Prior to the Nationals' afternoon game against the Rockies on Wednesday, Washington pitcher Aaron Barrett and Colorado outfielder Brandon Barnes had an old-fashioned standoff following the National Anthem.

The stalemate lasted several minutes as Barrett was fanned and hydrated by teammates. Jerry Blevins applied sunscreen on his fellow pitcher's neck. First base coach Tony Tarasco delivered an animated pep talk.

Barnes suggested a game of rock-paper-scissors to crown the victor, but Barrett had none of it. With Denard Span in the batter's box to lead off the game, Barnes blinked first, leaving Barrett the exuberant winner.

“The umpire looked at me and was like, ‘If there’s a pitch and you’re still there, you’re gone,’ ” Barnes told the Denver Post.

“It was a big win for the team,” Barrett told The Washington Post. “They were getting pretty serious behind me. He wanted to do Rock, Paper, Scissors for the end. The guys were like, ‘You better not lose.’ I didn’t want to hear the wrath of the team if I would have lost. Why not? It was fun. It was good camaraderie.”