Washington Nationals

Washington Nationals
2024 Washington Nationals season
LogoCap insignia
Major league affiliations
Current uniform
Retired numbers (as Montreal Expos: 8, 10, 10, 30)
Colors
  • Scarlet red, navy blue, white[1][2]
         
Name
Other nicknames
  • Nats
Ballpark
Major league titles
World Series titles (1)2019
NL Pennants (1)2019
NL East Division titles (5)
Wild card berths (1)2019
Front office
Principal owner(s)Mark Lerner[3][4]
President of baseball operationsMike Rizzo
General managerMike Rizzo
ManagerDave Martinez
Mascot(s)Screech
Websitemlb.com/nationals

The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Nationals Park, located on South Capitol Street in the Navy Yard neighborhood of the Southeast quadrant of D.C. along the Anacostia River.[5]

The Nationals are the eighth major league franchise to be based in Washington, D.C., and the first since 1971. The current franchise was founded in 1969 as the Montreal Expos as part of a four-team expansion. After a failed contraction plan, MLB bought the Expos, seeking to move the team to a new city.[6] MLB owners chose Washington, D.C. in 2004 and established the Nationals the next year, in the first MLB franchise move since 1971 when the third Washington Senators moved to Arlington, Texas to become the Texas Rangers. No MLB teams have moved since, although the Oakland Athletics are currently in the process of relocating to Las Vegas, Nevada.

While the team initially struggled after moving to Washington, the Nationals enjoyed considerable success throughout the 2010s. The team had back-to-back first overall picks in the MLB draft in 2009 and 2010, selecting Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper. The team secured their first playoff berth and first division title in 2012 and won the National League East again in 2014, 2016, and 2017, but failed to advance past the NLDS each time. In 2019, the team advanced to the World Series as a Wild Card team and defeated the Houston Astros in seven games to earn their first championship.

As of the end of the 2024 season, the franchise's overall win–loss record is 4,265–4,569–4 (.483). Since moving to Washington, D.C., their overall win–loss record is 1,510–1,626 (.482)[7]

  1. ^ "Washington Baseball Timeline–2000s". Nationals.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on October 4, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  2. ^ "MLB and Nationals unveil the official logo of 2018 All-Star Game". MLB.com (Press release). MLB Advanced Media. July 26, 2017. Archived from the original on May 12, 2019. Retrieved May 12, 2019. The official logo of the 2018 All-Star Game is as patriotic as its iconic setting. The focal point of the mark is the pristine white United States Capitol dome, which is crowned with the bronze Statue of Freedom. A U.S. flag proudly waves behind it, while the logo is surrounded by a ring of stars. The two stars on the red ring represent the competing leagues, and the six stars on the navy field symbolize their divisions. The ribbon proudly states the location and year of the Midsummer Classic, and to punctuate the mark, the MLB batter is in the colors of scarlet and navy honoring the host franchise.
  3. ^ Collier, Jamal (June 14, 2018). "Mark Lerner named Nats' managing principal owner". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on October 15, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  4. ^ Svrluga, Barry (June 14, 2018). "Nationals owner Ted Lerner, 92, to cede control of club to his son, Mark". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 9, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  5. ^ "Facts & Figures". Nationals.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on October 24, 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  6. ^ Fainaru, Steve (June 28, 2004). "Expos for Sale: Team Becomes Pawn of Selig". The Washington Post. p. A01. Archived from the original on July 15, 2018. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  7. ^ "Washington Nationals Team History & Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2024.