Washington Nationals: a trip to DC area

The next trip was local, for I can drive to Nationals park in 3.5 hrs  and return home in the same day.  It is one of the benefits of living in the Northeast. There are five MLB ballparks near me. I am within driving distance  to both New York City teams, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and DC.  Many Phillies fans drive down to DC to catch a weekend series with the Nats during the regular season. It was so bad  that 70 percent of attendees were Phillies fans for Nats/Phils games.  Nats management had to make a special rule for Phillies/Nats games so they sell tickets to DC fans first then they open it up to people outside zip code.

Let me talk about Nationals park, which is along Anacostia River in the Navy Yard neighborhood of  D.C. This ballpark is the home of the Washington Nationals (World Series Champs- 2019), who are in the same division (NL East) as my Phillies.  The “Nats” (as I refer to them) were originally the Montreal Expos, founded in 1969.  The Expos, who wanted out of Montreal, were bought by the MLB. The DC contingent convinced the MLB to take the team from Montreal to DC with the promise of a new stadium.  The Nationals were established in 2005. The move of franchises from city to city, because of new ballparks,  becomes a trend in modern baseball. For instance, St Petersburg, the city near Tampa Bay, just approved a new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays, which will be ready by 2028. The inability of a franchise city to provide a new stadium has forced the Athletics to move from Oakland to Las Vegas, a city that will fund a new stadium for the franchise (if move approved by 75% of MLB owners).

The noteworthy feature about this ballpark is that from the upper decks on first base side of the field you can see the Washington monument and the US Capitol building. The game was easy to get to using public transit. You get off at Ballpark-Navy Yard stop.  

A side benefit for me  is that I annually watch the Nationals in Spring training  while they are in Palm Beach, FL. As a consequence,  the Nationals roster ( photo below of #22 Juan Soto at Spring Training 2022, when still a Nat) is familiar to me  as much as the Phillies roster. The Nats are not contenders right now (but with free agency, deep pockets  and young talent, this can change quickly in baseball). The Nats have burdensome contracts for injured players (eg Stephen Strasberg) and traded away talented players (Bryce Harper) along with players retiring  (Ryan Zimmerman-3B, 16 yrs as Nat, his #11 number was retired in 2022 and has been nicknamed “Mr. National”). In a couple of years, this team will get its bearing and be competitive again.

In my visit to DC on Sept 8, 2014, I watched a baseball game  between the Nats (80-61) and the struggling Phillies (66-76). Cole Hamels was pitching; the Nats came from behind and won. (Washington Nationals 3 -  Philadelphia Phillies 2). In 2014, the Nationals were the better team. In 2023, tides have turned; the Phillies have the better lineup. I do not mind the Nats too much, for Phillies can beat this team most of the time. The other 2 teams, Braves and Marlins, in our division pose a bigger challenge.  The Nationals ballpark is a wonderful place to see a game.  The grounds are beautiful and the views of the Capitol are awe inspiring. Catch a game if you are in DC. #Natitude