 | This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. (July 2022) |
| 2020 Washington Nationals | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| League | National League | |
| Division | East | |
| Ballpark | Nationals Park | |
| City | Washington, D.C. | |
| Record | 26–34 (.433) | |
| Divisional place | 4th | |
| Owners | Lerner Enterprises | |
| General managers | Mike Rizzo | |
| Managers | Dave Martinez | |
| Television | MASN (Bob Carpenter, FP Santangelo, Dan Kolko, Bo Porter) | |
| Radio | 106.7 The Fan Washington Nationals Radio Network (Charlie Slowes, Dave Jageler) | |
| ||
The 2020 Washington Nationals season was the Nationals' 16th season as the baseball franchise of Major League Baseball in the District of Columbia, the 13th season at Nationals Park, and the 52nd season since the original team was started in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The team entered this season as the defending World Series champions.
On March 12, 2020, MLB announced that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the start of the regular season would be delayed by at least two weeks in addition to the remainder of spring training being canceled.[1] Four days later, it was announced that the start of the season would be pushed back indefinitely due to CDC recommendation.[2]
Players returned to training camps on July 1 to resume spring training and prepare for a July 23 Opening Day.[3] On September 19, the team suffered its 31st loss, assuring them of finishing the season with a losing record, their first since 2011.
On September 22 in game 2 of a doubleheader, the Nationals would get their 4,000th regular season win in franchise history on a walk-off home run by Yadiel Hernández to beat the Phillies 8–7. On September 24, the Nationals were eliminated from playoff contention, making them the 20th defending champion unable to win consecutive titles. The Nationals finished the regular season with a record of 26–34, giving them a fourth place finish in the National League East as a result of the Nationals' 6–4 head-to-head against the Mets, who also finished 26–34 (.433). The Nationals' .433 winning percentage was the second lowest of all time among defending champion seasons, behind only the 1998 Florida Marlins, who went 54–108 (.333).[4]
- ^ Mark Feinsand (March 12, 2020). "Opening Day delayed at least 2 weeks; Spring Training games cancelled". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- ^ "Opening of regular season to be pushed back". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. March 16, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
- ^ Feinsand, Mark (June 24, 2020). "Play Ball: MLB announces 2020 regular season". MLB.com. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
- ^ "2014 Red Sox among worst defending champs in MLB history".