Tag: Washington Nationals

Nats’ National League Debut

April 29, 1886 The Washington Nationals made their National League debut when they played the Philadelphia Quakers at the Swampoodle grounds in Washington D.C. The veteran Philadelphia ball club was managed by Harry Wright and the Washington ball club was managed by Mike Scanlon. The Washington fans were eager to see how their new Nationals …

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Wilkerson hits for the Cycle

April 6, 2005 In Philadelphia at Citizens Park the Washington Nationals beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3. The Nats victory was the first by a Washington major league baseball team in thirty three and a half years. The Nationals Brad Wilkerson went 4 for 4 and hit for the cycle. The cycle was Wilkerson’s second of …

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Nats debut at Nationals Park a memorable one

March 30, 2008 The Washington Nationals made their debut at the new Nationals Park a special one.  The Nationals 3-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves was the team’s first opening day victory since the team moved to Washington D.C. in 2005.  The young Nationals showed a lot of poise when they were able to keep …

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Why so many on the Injured List? Rules and treatment have evolved.

The injury bug has bitten the Nationals hard. At this writing, seven players are on the 10-day injured list, and two more players left Monday night’s game at Milwaukee: Catcher Yan Gomes left after being hit by a pitch, and outfielder Andrew Stevenson was removed after developing back spasms in the fourth inning. That came …

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New heroes emerge as Nats get off the mat

Our Nationals have some fight in them after all. After dropping two games to the San Diego Padres – one that was close until Sean Doolittle made a mistake on change-up in the ninth inning, and another that was close until manager Davey Martinez made the mistake of sending Wander Suero in to pitch the …

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“Wait’ll next year and hope?” Nope. Nats fans demand more

Baseball is said to be a timeless game. The rhythm of the game and the season bring generations together, and phrases like ‘Bang! Zoom!’ and ‘See you later!’ take on a special meaning around here every spring, summer and fall. Year after year, we pack the ballpark, gather around the television, tune in to broadcasts, …

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A Nats fan’s response to a youngster in search of a team

You may have heard the story of Pete Van Vleet of Ashland, Virginia, who wrote to every major league team, asking each to make a case for his newborn son, Jack, to be their fan. The 42-year-old Richmond native, a former colleague at The Associated Press, did not have a home team to root for …

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3 Keys to success for the Nationals in 2017

Washington sports fans are a demanding lot. We’re not satisfied with merely winning. We are disappointed if our teams don’t improve. We’re not entitled like New Yorkers, who expect to contend for a championship every year. But neither do we feel cursed, like Cubs fans before their team broke its 107-year record of futility last …

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Lobaton’s homer was no October surprise to Baker

The National League Division Series between the nationals and the Los Angeles Dodgers may be knotted at one game apiece, bit when it comes to drama and momentum, the Nats are clearly ahead after Sunday’s 5-2 victory And while fans are rightly cheering backup catcher Jose Lobaton as the unlikely hero the team needed to …

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With skid over, Nats can focus on winning habits

It’s too early to say whether Tanner Roark’s guile and Jayson Werth’s guts actually saved the Nationals’ 2016 season. But when they look back it all, their June 26 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers may be seen as an epiphany. For now, at least, the bleeding has stopped. In just a week’s time, the Nationals …

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