fill Langerhans' spot, Atlanta purchased the contract of Harris from Triple-A Richmond. Harris went on to have a career year in 2007. He hit near .400 during the month of May and went into the All-Star Break with a .4005 average. He led the team with 17 stolen bases. On June 30, Willie Harris tied a career personal record with 3 stolen bases in a 6-5 win over the Marlins. He posted a remarkable night on July 21: In a 14-6 rout of the St. Louis Cardinals, Harris went 6-for-6 with four singles, two triples, six RBI, four runs scored, and a stolen base. He became just the second player in Atlanta history and the seventh in franchise history to have six hits in a game. But Harris' numbers in the second half of the season dropped precipitously. He had a .214 average, a .294 on-base percentage, and a .354 slugging average after the all-star break. On August 9, the Braves were beating the NL East-leading New York Mets 7-3 entering the bottom of the 9th at Shea Stadium. After Braves reliever Tyler Yates yielded three runs to bring the Mets within one, Óscar Villarreal came on to pitch. The first hitter he faced, first baseman Carlos Delgado, hit what appeared to be a solo home run to make it a tie game. Harris ranged back in left field, stopped just before the wall and jumped, robbing the home run and preserving the lead. Harris was designated for assignment on December 4, 2007. Harris was not offered a new contract by the Braves and became a free agent on December 12, 2007. 2008–2009 On December 13, 2007, he signed with the Washington Nationals. He proved an effective insurance policy, playing second base, third base, shortstop and all three outfield positions over the course of the season. He was known for playing stellar defense, and made several outstanding athletic catches in the outfield. On August 22, , Willie hit his eleventh and twelfth home runs of the year, including his first career grand slam that gave the Nationals a 6-4 lead. He also hit a 2-run home run, collected 6 RBI to give him 38 for the season, scored 3 times, and stole a base in the Nationals' 13 to 5 win against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Harris finished the season with 13 home runs, six more than he