Washington Nationals Baseball

Washington Nationals Schedule

Washington Nationals Baseball is big in DC and Washington Nationals Opening Day is something, lots of fans can't wait for. Although the team is fairly new, it has its following amongst the 'die-hard' baseball fans. The Nats (as many call them) are a member of the East Division of the MLB. Before Nationals Stadium (or better: Nationals Park became the newly built Washington Nationals Baseball's home in 2008, the team played their first 3 seasons in RFK Stadium.

The Nationals name derives from the former Washington baseball team which had the same name (used interchangeably with Senators). The club was originally founded in Montreal, Canada, in the late 60's - 1969 to be exact - and was called the 'Montreal Expos'. They were the first major league team in Canada. 1981, although a strike-shortened, was a great year for the team. The Expos won a division championship, won their first-ever playoff series by defeating the Philadelphia Phillies, 3-2, and they advanced to the National League Championship Series, where they would go on to lose that series to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a great game 3-2, in their only postseason appearance in the 1981 season.

In another strike-shortened season in 1994, the Expos had their highest winning percentage, and the best record in baseball. The team's subsequent shedding of players caused fan interest to drop off, which resulted to the MLB considering to revoke the team's franchise after the 2001 season - along with either the Minnesota Twins or the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. After being purchased by MLB in 2002, the team was moved to Washington DC before the before the 2005 season started and renamed the Nationals. This was the 1st relocation since the second Washington Senators moved to Arlington, Texas, and became the Texas Rangers in 1972. After the move, many fans and Washington Metro area residents were excited, but also sceptical on how the team will perform and if they can become what everyone in the area expected from Washington Nationals Baseball. In the meantime, the team is quite established, but still building up to what fans hope will result in at least a World Series appearance, if not a win of the World Series title in the next few years. Especially after third-base man Ryan Zimmerman agreed on February 26, 2012 to extend his contract until at least 2019.

Washington Nationals Schedule

Although there will be games during the Washington Nationals Spring Training in Florida and Exhibition Games at Nationals Stadium (or better: Nationals Park), the 'regular' season games won't start until Washington Nationals Opening Day.

Washington Nationals Opening Day 2012

Washington Nationals Opening Day for the 2012 season is April 12, 2012, when the Washington Nats face the Cincinnati Reds in a 1:05pm game.

Nationals Park

Nationals Park is located in SE D.C., near the Anacostia River and with views of the Capitol. The Park hosted the 2008 season's first game (in North America), when the Nationals took on the Atlanta Braves on March 30. However, the first game played there was actually a collegiate baseball game.

Located along the Anacostia River in the Navy Yard neighborhood of Washington, D.C., Nationals Stadium replaced RFK Stadium as the Washington Nationals Baseball's home ballpark. The best type of transportation to get to the stadium is the Washington DC Metro system. Check out the Washington DC Metro Map for details and schedules. Or go right to the Metro Trip Planner on the wmata website. The stadium is one block from the Navy Yard - Ballpark station on the Green Line. The station is heavily used by fans on game day, so be prepared for waiting and walking up the escalators as they are often stopped for safety reasons. Of course, the elevators are always an option.

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