| 2011 Washington Nationals | ||
|---|---|---|
| League | National League | |
| Division | East | |
| Ballpark | Nationals Park | |
| City | Washington, D.C. | |
| Record | 80–81 (.497) | |
| Divisional place | 3rd | |
| Owners | Lerner Enterprises | |
| General managers | Mike Rizzo | |
| Managers | Jim Riggleman, John McLaren, Davey Johnson | |
| Television | MASN WDCW (CW 50) (Bob Carpenter, FP Santangelo, Ray Knight, Johnny Holliday, Dave Jageler) | |
| Radio | WJFK 106.7 FM (Charlie Slowes, Dave Jageler) | |
| ||
The Washington Nationals' 2011 season was the seventh season for the American baseball franchise of Major League Baseball in the District of Columbia and the 43rd since the original team was started in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It involved the Nationals attempting to win the National League East after a 69–93 season the year before.
On June 23, 2011, manager Jim Riggleman resigned after contract disputes with general manager Mike Rizzo. Riggleman resigned following a 1–0 win over the Seattle Mariners which put the Nationals over .500 at the latest point in a season since 2005 and gave them their 11th win in 12 games. Riggleman compiled a 140–172 record with the Nationals after he replaced Manny Acta after the all-star break in 2009. On June 24, Davey Johnson was named the new manager. Previously, he was a senior advisor to Mike Rizzo. He began managing on June 27. Bench coach John McLaren managed the club for three games following Riggleman's resignation before Johnson was decided upon as interim manager.
The Nationals finished the 2011 season in third place in the NL East with an 80–81 record, playing only 161 games because one game against the Los Angeles Dodgers was canceled due to rain. Their third-place finish was their best finish in the standings and second-best win–loss record since they moved to Washington.