The
Washington Nationals:
Baseball in Our Nation's Capital!

2005: The Nats' Honeymoon Year in Washington

The Nationals' inaugural season in Our Nation's Capital turned out better than even the brightest optimists could have imagined, sparking a mutual love affair between players and fans. The team had amazing success, rising to a commanding lead in the National League Eastern Division during a ten-game winning streak in June, before falling back in July. They finished the season at an even .500, 81-81, but it was still last place in the division. The 2.7 million total attendance at the Nats' home games exceeded their target by 300,000, and their 33,584 average attendance was more than 3 ½ times the attendance at Expos games in Montreal and San Juan in the previous year. This laid to rest doubts about baseball in Washington.

Click to see the full rotation (the closing pitcher is in parentheses), and click again to hide it.

Usual starting positions, 2005

CF: Brad Wilkerson .248 Preston Wilson

LF: Marlon Byrd .264 Ryan Church

RF: Jose Guillen * .283

SS: Cristian Guzman * .219

2B: Jose Vidro .275

3B: Vinny Castilla * .253

PITCHING ROTATION Livan Hernandez 3.98 Esteban Loaiza 3.77 John Patterson 3.13 Tony Armas 4.97 Hector Carrasco 2.04 Chad Cordero (closer) 1.82

1B: Nick Johnson .289

Batting average for position players, ERA for pitchers. Manager: Frank Robinson

C: Brian Schneider .268

* (asterisk): new player

Nationals' head-to-head matchups, 2005

Opponent	Wins	Losses
ARI	4	2
ATL	9	10
BAL	0	0
BOS	0	0
CHC	5	1
CHW	0	0
CIN	1	5
CLE	0	0
COL	4	2
DET	0	0
HOU	2	5
KC	0	0
LAA	2	1
LAD	4	2
FLA	9	9
MIL	4	4
MIN	0	0
NYM	8	11
NYY	0	0
OAK	3	0
PHI	8	11
PIT	5	1
SD	1	5
SEA	3	0
SF	3	3
STL	2	4
TB	0	0
TEX	1	2
TOR	3	3
Total	81	81

2005 memorable moments

• Apr. 4 -- Phillies 8, Nats 4. The Nationals' very first game; (I was there!) @
• Apr. 14 -- Nats 5, D-backs 3. The first home game; sold-out crowd.
• May 30 -- Nats 5, Braves 4. High drama, perfect weather. (I was there!)
• June 5 -- Nats 6, Marlins 3. Ryan Church homer helps Nats take first place.
• June 14 -- Nats 6, Angels 3. Frank Robinson complains about pine tar. @
• July 4 -- Mets 5, Nats 2. RFK nearly full, but loss begins big downturn.
• July 15 -- Brewers 4, Nats 3. Mike Stanton balks (?!) in 10th inning.
• Aug. 4 -- Nats 7, Dodgers 0. Grand slam by Wilkerson, 13 Ks by Patterson.
• Sept. 2 -- Phillies 7, Nats 1. Ryan Zimmerman's first ML hit. (I was there!)
• Sept. 17 -- Padres 8, Nats 5. 12 innings; Cordero blows 5-0 lead in 9th.
• Sept. 21 -- Giants 5, Nats 1. HR by Barry Bonds ends Nats' wild card hopes.

"@" = away game

Nationals, 2005: month-by-month summary

Month	Wins	Losses	NL East place (at end)	Number of home games	Total attendance	Average attendance
April 2005	13	11	3rd	12	371,408	30,951
May 2005	14	14	3rd	10	333,284	33,328
June 2005	20	6	1st	17	562,951	33,115
July 2005	9	18	2nd	11	412,001	37,455
Aug. 2005	13	15	5th	12	439,619	36,635
Sept.* 2005	12	17	5th	19	601,059	31,635
2005 TOTAL	81	81	5th	81	2,720,322	33,584
SOURCE: My unofficial daily tabulations from MLB Gameday stats, Washington Post, and other newspapers. * Asterisks indicate the data include March (for April) or October (for September).

Day-to-day winning percentages

2006: Soriano raises hopes, then reality sinks in

The acquisition of free agent Alfonso Soriano from the Texas Rangers raised hopes that the Nationals might do even better in 2006, but they lost nine of their first ten home games. They did much better from late May until the middle of June, including their first interleague series against the Orioles and the Yankees. The Nats prevailed in both series, with two dramatic comeback wins against the Yanks, including Ryan Zimmerman's first career walk-off home run. In late July they achieved consecutive sweeps at home against the Cubs and Giants, but could not hold the momentum. They managed a winning record in September, but the loss of the final three games to the Mets provided a fitting end to a disappointing season.

Usual starting positions, 2006

CF: Marlon Byrd .223 Ryan Church

LF: Alfonso Soriano * .277

RF: Jose Guillen .216 Austin Kearns *

SS: Royce Clayton * .269 Felipe Lopez

2B: Jose Vidro .289

3B: Ryan Zimmerman * .287

PITCHING ROTATION Ramon Ortiz 5.57 Tony Armas 5.03 Livan Hernandez 5.34 Michael O'Connor 4.80 Pedro Astacio 5.98 Chad Cordero (closer) 3.19

1B: Nick Johnson .290

Batting average for position players, ERA for pitchers. Manager: Frank Robinson

C: Brian Schneider .256

* (asterisk): new player

Nationals' head-to-head matchups, 2006

Opponent	Wins	Losses
ARI	5	1
ATL	8	10
BAL	3	3
BOS	0	3
CHC	4	2
CHW	0	0
CIN	1	5
CLE	0	0
COL	0	8
DET	0	0
HOU	4	4
KC	0	0
LAA	0	0
LAD	2	4
FLA	7	11
MIL	5	1
MIN	0	0
NYM	6	12
NYY	2	1
OAK	0	0
PHI	10	9
PIT	3	3
SD	1	5
SEA	0	0
SF	5	1
STL	3	4
TB	2	1
TEX	0	0
TOR	0	3
Total	71	91

2006 memorable moments

• Apr. 21 -- Three home runs by Alfonso Soriano help beat the Braves, 7-3.
• May 3 -- The Nationals franchise is sold (for $450m) to the Lerner family.
• May 13 -- Braves win 8-5 on Jeff Francouer's bottom of the 9th grand slam.
• June 17 -- Nats erase 7-run deficit and beat Yanks at home, 11-9.
• June 18 -- Nats beat Yanks 3-2 on Zimmerman's 2-run bottom of the 9th HR.
• July 3 -- Zimmerman HR; Nats beat DevilRays 6-2. (I was there!)
• July 6 -- Marlins beat Nats in D.C., 18-9.
• Aug. 15 -- Pedro Astacio pitches complete 2-hit game; Nats 5, Braves 0.
• Sept. 27 -- Phillies win 8-7 in 14 innings after Nats score in 9th, 10th & 14th.
• Sept. 30 -- Mets 13, Nats 0; Julio Franco (age 48!) homers. (I was there!)
• Oct. 1 -- Frank Robinson bids farewell to appreciative fans at RFK.

"@" = away game

Nationals, 2006: month-by-month summary

Month	Wins	Losses	NL East place (at end)	Number of home games	Total attendance	Average attendance
April 2006	8	17	4th	8	202,430	25,304
May 2006	14	15	4th	15	390,393	26,026
June 2006	11	16	5th	12	357,325	29,777
July 2006	14	11	5th	15	412,751	27,517
Aug. 2006	9	18	5th	13	352,350	27,104
Sept.* 2006	15	14	5th	18	436,829	24,268
2006 TOTAL	71	91	5th	81	2,152,078	26,569
SOURCE: My unofficial daily tabulations from MLB Gameday stats, Washington Post, and other newspapers. * Asterisks indicate the data include March (for April) or October (for September).

Day-to-day winning percentages

2007: Rebuilding the team, building the new stadium

The Nationals began their third year with lower expectations, as the new owners made it clear that they were focusing on rebuilding the franchise's decrepit farm system. It was pretty ugly early in the season, but from mid-May on, the Nats played very respectably. The biggest surprise was that the pitching rotation performed well above expectations. Dmitri Young, filling in for first baseman Nick Johnson (recovering from a broken leg), was leading in the NL batting race for several weeks, and was named the NL Comeback Player of the Year. For the first time the Nats finished the season out of the cellar, three games ahead of the Marlins. Meanwhile, construction of the new baseball stadium neared completion.

Usual starting positions, 2007

CF: Ryan Church .272

LF: Nook Logan * .265 Ryan Church

RF: Austin Kearns .266

SS: Felipe Lopez .245

2B: Ronnie Belliard * .290

3B: Ryan Zimmerman .266

PITCHING ROTATION Matt Chico * 4.63 Mike Bacsik 5.11 Jason Bergmann 4.45 Shawn Hill 3.42 Tim Redding 3.64 Chad Cordero (closer) 3.36

1B: Dmitri Young * .320

Batting average for position players, ERA for pitchers. Manager: Manny Acta

C: Brian Schneider .235

* (asterisk): new player

Nationals' head-to-head matchups, 2007

Opponent	Wins	Losses
ARI	1	6
ATL	7	11
BAL	4	2
BOS	0	0
CHC	1	6
CHW	0	0
CIN	6	1
CLE	2	1
COL	3	4
DET	0	3
HOU	5	2
KC	0	0
LAA	0	0
LAD	1	5
FLA	10	8
MIL	2	4
MIN	2	1
NYM	9	9
NYY	0	0
OAK	0	0
PHI	6	12
PIT	2	4
SD	2	4
SEA	0	0
SF	4	3
STL	5	1
TB	0	0
TEX	0	0
TOR	1	2
Total	73	89

2007 memorable moments

• Apr. 4 -- Dmitri Young game-winning RBI, as Marlins left fielder lets ball drop.
• May 12 -- Zimmerman grand slam in bottom of 9th; Nats beat Marlins 7-3.
• May 14 -- Jason Bergman allowed no hits for 7 innings; Nats beat Braves 2-1.
• May 23 -- Ryan Church hit two HRs, six RBI; Nats beat Reds 12-7. @
• July 4 -- Dmitri Young grand slam; Nats beat Cubs 6-0.
• Aug. 4 -- Zimmerman hit two HRs; Nats beat Cards 12-1. (I was there!)
• Aug. 7 -- Barry Bonds 756th HR off Scott Bacsik; Nats beat Giants 8-6. @
• Aug. 11 -- Nats hit 3 HRs in 6th inning, but lose to D-backs 11-4. @
• Sep. 22 -- Last night game in RFK; Phillies beat Nats, 4-1. (I was there!)
• Sep. 23 -- 40,519 fans at last game in RFK Stadium; Nats beat Phillies, 5-3.
• Sep. 26 -- Nats win 3-game sweep Mets, who fall into 2nd place. @

"@" = away game

Nationals, 2007: month-by-month summary

Month	Wins	Losses	NL East place (at end)	Number of home games	Total attendance	Average attendance
April 2007	9	17	5th	14	299,157	21,368
May 2007	13	15	5th	13	291,959	22,458
June 2007	10	16	5th	12	295,414	24,618
July 2007	14	12	5th	15	373,953	24,930
Aug. 2007	12	17	4th	12	338,973	28,248
Sept.* 2007	15	12	4th	15	362,373	24,158
2007 TOTAL	73	89	4th	81	1,961,739	24,219
SOURCE: My unofficial daily tabulations from MLB Gameday stats, Washington Post, and other newspapers. * Asterisks indicate the data include March (for April) or October (for September).

Day-to-day winning percentages

2008: "Welcome home" to the new stadium

Nationals Park had a storybook Opening Day on March 31, when Ryan Zimmerman hit a memorable walk-off home run. The Nats soon fell into a nine-game losing streak, however. Even though infielders Nick Johnson and Cristian Guzman returned to the lineup, the team roster was depleted by further injuries in April and May. Dmitri Young had diabetes-related weight problems, and did not play much. Things went from bad to worse in July, when the Nats only won five games, setting a team record. After a brief upsurge in early August, the Nationals endured their longest losing streak yet, 12 games. Later in the month they rebounded again, but lost nine of their last ten games. Not a good way to begin the new era in Nationals Park.

Usual starting positions, 2008

CF: Lastings Milledge * .268

LF: Willie Harris * .251 Wily Mo Peña *

RF: Austin Kearns .217 Elijah Dukes *

SS: Cristian Guzman .316

2B: Felipe Lopez .234

3B: Ryan Zimmerman .283

PITCHING ROTATION John Lannan 3.91 Tim Redding 4.95 Odalis Perez 4.34 Jason Bergmann 5.09 Colin Balester 5.51 Jon Rauch (closer) 2.98

1B: Aaron Boone * .241 Nick Johnson

Batting average for position players, ERA for pitchers. Manager: Manny Acta

C: Jesus Flores * .256 Wil Nieves *

* (asterisk): new player

Nationals' head-to-head matchups, 2008

Opponent	Wins	Losses
ARI	2	4
ATL	12	6
BAL	3	3
BOS	0	0
CHC	3	3
CHW	0	0
CIN	3	4
CLE	0	0
COL	3	4
DET	0	0
HOU	2	4
KC	0	0
LAA	1	2
LAD	3	3
FLA	3	14
MIL	2	6
MIN	0	3
NYM	6	12
NYY	0	0
OAK	0	0
PHI	6	12
PIT	4	3
SD	1	5
SEA	3	0
SF	0	7
STL	1	5
TB	0	0
TEX	1	2
TOR	0	0
Total	59	102

2008 memorable moments

• Mar. 30 - Zimmerman 9th inn. HR inaugurates new stadium; WSH 3, ATL 2.
• Apr. 25 - Wil Nieves 9th inning HR; WSH 5, CHC 3.
• Apr. 22 - John Smoltz gets 3000th strikeout, but Nats beat Braves, 6-0. @
• May 15 - Diving catch by LF Willie Harris saves 1-0 win over the Mets. @
• May 24 -- Brewers spoil nice day in D.C., winning 5-2. (I was there!)
• June 5 - Elijah Dukes 2-run HR in 10th inn.; WSH 10, STL 9.
• June 20 - Elijah Dukes 5 for 6: HR, GW RBI in 14th inning; WSH 4, TEX 3.
• June 29 - Ronnie Belliard 2-run HR in 12th inning; WSH 3, BAL 2.
• Aug. 2 -- Nats come back from 6-2 deficit, beat Reds 10-6. (I was there!)
• Aug. 28 -- C. Guzman hits for cycle, E. Dukes two HRs; WSH 11, LAD 2.
• Aug. 30 -- Elijah Dukes walked, GW RBI in 10th inn.; WSH 9, ATL 8.
• Sept. 6 -- E. Dukes two HRs, R. Langerhans HR in 11th; WSH 8, ATL 5. @
• Sept. 19 -- Bullpen collapse: Padres score 5 in 14th inning; SD 11, WSH 6.

"@" = away game

Nationals, 2008: month-by-month summary

Month	Wins	Losses	NL East place (at end)	Number of home games	Total attendance	Average attendance
April 2008	11	17	5th	14	418,834	29,917
May 2008	13	16	5th	14	397,058	28,361
June 2008	9	17	5th	16	493,251	30,828
July 2008	5	19	5th	9	273,305	30,367
Aug. 2008	14	15	5th	15	436,388	29,093
Sept.* 2008	7	17	5th	12	301,504	25,125
2008	59	102	5th	80	2,320,340	29,004
SOURCE: My unofficial daily tabulations from MLB Gameday stats, Washington Post, and other newspapers. * Asterisks indicate the data include March (for April) or October (for September).

Day-to-day winning percentages

2009: Desperately seeking success

The Nats played most of their April games on the road, going 5-16 for the month. New arrival Adam Dunn provided lots of slugging firepower, and Ryan Zimmerman had a 30-game hitting streak that ended on May 13. The weak spot throughout 2009 was the pitching staff, especially the bullpen. At the All-Star break, the Nats were only 26-61 (.299), and manager Manny Acta was replaced by Jim Riggleman. The team had an eight-game winning streak as well as an eight-game losing streak in August and September. Boosted by rookies Ian Desmond and Justin Maxwell, the Nats swept both the Mets and the Braves to end the season, becoming the first MLB team ever to lose their first seven games and then win the final seven games in a season.

Usual starting positions, 2009

CF: Willie Harris .235 Nyjer Morgan *

LF: Josh Willingham * .260 Adam Dunn *

RF: Elijah Dukes .250 Austin Kearns

SS: Cristian Guzman .284

2B: Anderson Hernandez * .251 Alberto Gonzalez *

3B: Ryan Zimmerman .292

PITCHING ROTATION John Lannan 3.88 Craig Stammen 5.11 Garret Mock * 5.62 Jordan Zimmermann * 4.63 Shairon Martis * 5.25 Mike MacDougal (cl.) 3.60

1B: Adam Dunn * .267 Nick Johnson

Batting average for position players, ERA for pitchers. Manager: Manny Acta / Jim Riggleman

C: Josh Bard * .230 Wil Nieves

* (asterisk): new player;

Nationals' head-to-head matchups, 2009

Opponent	Wins	Losses
ARI	5	1
ATL	8	10
BAL	2	4
BOS	1	2
CHC	2	5
CHW	0	0
CIN	4	3
CLE	0	0
COL	0	6
DET	0	0
HOU	3	3
KC	0	0
LAA	0	0
LAD	2	3
FLA	6	12
MIL	3	5
MIN	0	0
NYM	8	10
NYY	2	1
OAK	0	0
PHI	3	15
PIT	3	5
SD	2	4
SEA	0	0
SF	2	4
STL	1	6
TB	0	3
TEX	0	0
TOR	2	1
Total	59	103

2009 memorable moments

• Apr. 17-19 -- Marlins come back in the 9th inn. and win in 3 games straight.
• May 13 -- R. Zimmerman's 30-game hitting streak ends in SF; Nats win 6-3.
• May 24 -- Adam Dunn hits two HRs, incl. a grand slam; WSH 8, BAL 5.
• June 4 -- Randy Johnson wins his 300th game in D.C.; SF 5, WSH 1.
• June 20 -- Willie Harris HR in 12th inn.; WSH 5, TOR 3. @
• June 25 -- Record attendance at Nationals Park: 41,985; WSH 9, BOS 3.
• July 9 -- Nats win rain-susp. May 5 "home" game in 11th-inn., 11-10. @
• July 11 -- N. Johnson, Willingham, Dunn consecutive HRs; WSH 13, HOU 2. @
• July 27 -- Josh Willingham hits two grand slams; WSH 14, MIL 6. @
• July 28 -- Adam Dunn hits HR out of Miller Park; WSH 8, MIL 3. @
• Aug. 2 -- Nats end 8-game losing streak; WSH 5, PIT 3. (I was there!) @
• Sept. 6 -- Ryan Zimmerman 2-run 9th-inn. HR; WSH 5, FLA 4. (I was there!)
• Sept. 30 -- Justin Maxwell GW 9th-inn. grand slam; WSH 7, NYM 4.
• Oct. 3 -- Justin Maxwell HR in 11th inn.; WSH 6, ATL 4. @
• Oct. 4 -- Alberto Gonzalez RBI single in 15th inn.; WSH 2, ATL 1. @ Nats win their last 7 games!

"@" = away game

Nationals, 2009: month-by-month summary

Month	Wins	Losses	NL East place (at end)	Number of home games	Total attendance	Average attendance
April 2009	5	16	5th	9	178,230	19,803
# May 2009	9	20	5th	15	324,970	21,665
June 2009	9	17	5th	15	368,179	26,299
July 2009	9	18	5th	14	364,128	26,009
Aug. 2009	14	15	5th	13	266,379	20,491
Sept.* 2009	13	17	5th	15	316,394	21,093
2009	59	103	5th	81	1,818,280	22,531
SOURCE: My unofficial daily tabulations from MLB Gameday stats, Washington Post, and other newspapers. * Asterisks indicate the data include March (for April) or October (for September). # May data include the rain-suspended May 5 home game, which was finished on July 9 in Houston.

Day-to-day winning percentages

2010: Will Strasburg be the Nats' "savior"?

The high expectations (Jesus!) raised by Stephen Strasburg boosted attendance once he arrived in Washington in mid-May, but the Nats quickly encountered a "reality check." The addition of veteran catcher Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez to the lineup was a huge benefit, offensively and defensively, but the injury to newly acquired pitcher Jason Marquis was a big setback. The middle of the Nats' lineup -- Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Dunn, and Josh Willingham -- is about as strong as any team in baseball, but too often the team failed to capitalize on scoring opportunities. Strasburg injured his elbow in July, going on the disabled list, and it only got worse after he returned in September, requiring Tommy John surgery.

Usual starting positions, 2010

CF: Nyjer Morgan .253

LF: Josh Willingham .268

RF: Michael Morse * .289 Roger Bernadina *

SS: Ian Desmond * .269

2B: Adam Kennedy * .249 Cristian Guzman

3B: Ryan Zimmerman .307

PITCHING ROTATION Livan Hernandez 3.66 John Lannan 4.65 Craig Stammen 5.13 Luis Atilano * 5.15 Scott Olsen * 5.56 Jason Marquis * Stephen Strasburg * Matt Capps (closer) 2.74

1B: Adam Dunn .260

Batting average for position players, ERA for pitchers. Managers: Jim Riggleman

C: Ivan Rodriguez * .266

* (asterisk): new player;

Nationals' head-to-head matchups, 2010

Opponent	Wins	Losses
ARI	4	3
ATL	10	8
BAL	2	4
BOS	0	0
CHC	2	4
CHW	0	3
CIN	3	4
CLE	1	2
COL	3	5
DET	0	3
HOU	4	4
KC	2	1
LAA	0	0
LAD	3	3
FLA	5	13
MIL	2	4
MIN	0	0
NYM	9	9
NYY	0	0
OAK	0	0
PHI	6	12
PIT	5	1
SD	3	3
SEA	0	0
SF	2	4
STL	3	3
TB	0	0
TEX	0	0
TOR	0	0
Total	69	93

2010 memorable moments

• Apr. 17 -- Livan Hernandez complete game shutout, 4 hits; WSH 8, MIL 0. @
• Apr. 18 -- Brewers score 10 runs in 1st off Jason Marquis, win 11-7. @
• May 6 -- Scott Olsen 7 innings with no hits; WSH 3, ATL 2.
• May 12 -- Roger Bernadina hits 2 homers, makes great catch; WSH 6, NYM 6.
• May 31 -- Nats score 9 runs in 7th, beat Astros 14-4. @
• June 8 -- S. Strasburg 14 strikeouts in first career win; WSH 5, PIT 2.
• June 23 -- S. Strasburg 9 K, but first career loss. KCR 1, WSH 0. I was there!
• July 6 -- Ryan Zimmerman 2 home runs, incl. GW in 9th inn.; WSH 6, SD 5.
• July 31 -- Ryan Zimmerman GW home run in 9th inn.; WSH 7, PHI 5.
• July 7 -- Adam Dunn 3 home runs; WSH 7, SD 6.
• Aug. 13 (Friday!) -- Wil Nieves home run; WSH 4, ARI 2. I was there!
• Sept. 6 -- Danny Espinosa 2 home runs, incl. GS, & 2B & 1B; WSH 13, NYM 3.
• Sept. 14 -- Adam Dunn, Livan Hernandez, Ian Desmond HRs; WSH 6, ATL 0. @
• Sept. 15 -- Justin Maxwell grand slam; WSH 4, ATL 2. @
• Sept. 22-23 -- D. Espinosa & M. Morse both homer on consecutive days, beating Astros 4-3 and 7-2.
• Sept. 25 -- Derek Lowe outduels Yuniesky Maya; ATL 5, WSH 0. I was there!

"@" = away game

Nationals, 2010: month-by-month summary

Month	Wins	Losses	NL East place (at end)	Number of home games	Total attendance	Average attendance
April 2010	13	10	2nd	13	257,105	19,777
May 2010	13	16	T 3rd	11	241,137	21,922
June 2010	8	19	5th	12	340,078	28,340
July 2010	12	13	5th	15	404,461	26,964
Aug. 2010	11	18	5th	14	312,120	22,294
Sept.* 2010	12	17	5th	16	272,854	17,053
2010	69	93	5th	81	1,827,755	22,565
SOURCE: My unofficial daily tabulations from MLB Gameday stats, Washington Post, and other newspapers.

Day-to-day winning percentages

2011: Werth arrives, Strasburg heals, Harper prepares

The acquisition of Jayson Werth was a clear signal that the Lerner family was serious about fielding a competitive baseball team. Werth had a poor year, but it didn't matter. Aside from slumps in July and late August, the Nats remained close to .500 for most of the year. The team's pitching, batting, and fielding were all consistently solid for a change. A key factor was Michael Morse, who hit 31 home runs, with a .303 average. Meanwhile, a hot slugging prospect named Bryce Harper began playing in the Nationals' farm system. Late in the season, Stephen Strasburg returned to the mound after recovering from Tommy John surgery. The Nats won 14 of their last 18 games of the season, finishing in third place, amid soaring hopes for next year.

Usual starting positions, 2011

CF: Rick Ankiel * .239 Roger Bernadina

LF: Laynce Nix * .250 Michael Morse

RF: Jayson Werth * .232

SS: Ian Desmond .253

2B: Danny Espinosa * .236

3B: Ryan Zimmerman .289

PITCHING ROTATION John Lannan 3.70 Livan Hernandez 4.47 Jordan Zimmermann 3.18 Jason Marquis 3.95 Tom Gorzelanny * 4.03 Drew Storen (closer) 2.75

1B: Michael Morse .303 Adam LaRoche *

Batting average for position players, ERA for pitchers. Managers: Jim Riggleman / Davey Johnson

C: Wilson Ramos * .267

* (asterisk): new player;

Nationals, 2011: best batting and pitching records

Batting average		Home runs		RBIs		ERA		Wins		Strikeouts
Michael Morse	.303	Michael Morse	31	Michael Morse	95	J. Zimmermann	3.18	John Lannan	10	J. Zimmermann	124

Only qualifying players are included in this table.

Nationals' head-to-head matchups, 2011

Opponent	Wins	Losses
ARI	3	5
ATL	9	9
BAL	3	3
BOS	0	0
CHC	4	3
CHW	2	1
CIN	2	4
CLE	0	0
COL	3	4
DET	0	0
HOU	3	3
KC	0	0
LAA	0	3
LAD	2	4
FLA	7	11
MIL	3	3
MIN	0	0
NYM	10	8
NYY	0	0
OAK	0	0
PHI	10	8
PIT	4	4
SD	4	3
SEA	3	0
SF	4	3
STL	4	2
TB	0	0
TEX	0	0
TOR	0	0
Total	80	81

2011 memorable moments

• Apr. 10 -- Pudge Rodriguez RBI, L. Nix HR in 11th inn.; WSH 7, NYM 3. @
• Apr. 17 -- (dblhdr.) Pudge, Espinosa, Desmond HRs; WSH 8 & 5, MIL 4 & 1.
• Apr. 29 -- J. Marquis complete game shutout, Desmond 3/3; WSH 3, SF 0.
• May 11 -- Nats scored 2 in 9th, 4 in 11th inn.; WSH 7, ATL 3. @
• May 20 -- Jayson Werth 2 HRs, other Nats 3 HRs; WSH 17, BAL 5. @
• May 27 -- Espinosa HR, Morse GW HR in 9th inn.; WSH 2, SD 1. I was there!
• June 5 -- ARI 3 runs in 9th; M. Morse grand slam in 11th inn.; WSH 9, ARI 4. @
• June 15 -- Michael Morse two home runs; WSH 10, STL 0.
• June 21 -- Wilson Ramos game-winning grand slam in 9th inn.; WSH 6, SEA 5.
• June 23 -- Manager Jim Riggleman quits after 11 wins in 12 games; WSH 1, SEA 0.
• June 24 -- 14-inning marathon in Chicago (4:58); WSH 9, CHW 5. @
• July 4 -- C. Marmol wild pitch yields run in 11th inn.; WSH 5, CHC 4. I was there!
• Aug. 19 -- Ryan Zimmerman game-winning grand slam in 9th inn.; WSH 8, PHI 4.
• Aug. 23 -- Small earthquake postpones start of game; ARI 2, WSH 0.
• Aug. 30 -- Morse, Zimmerman, Espinosa, Nix HRs; WSH 9, ATL 2. @
• Sept. 3 -- Tom Milone (pitcher!) homers on first pitch in majors; WSH 8, NYM 7.
• Sept. 16 -- Marlins' Javier Vazquez complete-game shutout; FLA 3, WSH 0. I was there!
• Sept. 26 -- M. Morse 3-run homer (#30!) in 9th inn.; WSH 6, FLA 4. @
• Sept. 28 -- S. Strasburg 10 strikeouts, 1 hit in 6 inn.; WSH 3, FLA 1 in final game at Sun Life Stadium. @

"@" = away game

Nationals, 2011: month-by-month summary

Month	Wins	Losses	NL East place (at end)	Number of home games	Total attendance	Average attendance
April 2011	12	14	T 3rd	14	272,151	19,439
May 2011	11	17	5th	11	238,427	21,675
June 2011	17	10	4th	10	269,671	26,967
July 2011	11	15	5th	17	410,610	24,154
Aug. 2011	12	15	4th	13	324,285	24,945
Sept.* 2011	17	10	3rd	15	425,336	28,356
2011	80	81	3rd	80	1,940,480	24,256
SOURCE: My unofficial daily tabulations from MLB Gameday stats, Washington Post, and other newspapers.

Day-to-day winning percentages

2012: "Natitude!": Harper sparks drive to NL East title

Everything finally came together for the Nationals in 2012. In spite of injuries to several key players, they finished April in first place, and kept that position for virtually the entire season. Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann were joined by another All-Star caliber pitcher, Gio Gonzalez, who finished the season with a league-best 21-8 record. After rookie slugger Bryce Harper and Michael Morse joined the lineup, the Nationals became an offensive powerhouse as well. By August they had the best win-loss record in the majors, and that's how they finished the season, at 98-64. The first baseball postseason in Washington since 1933 had some thrilling moments, and the Nats came within one strike of winning Game 5 of the divisional series, but the defending World Champion Cardinals mounted an improbable comeback to win. "Wait till next year!"

Usual starting positions, 2012

CF: Bryce Harper * .270 Rick Ankiel

LF: Michael Morse # .291 Steve Lombardozzi *

RF: Jayson Werth # .300 Bryce Harper

SS: Ian Desmond #.292 Danny Espinosa

2B: Danny Espinosa .247 Steve Lombardozzi

3B: Ryan Zimmerman .282

PITCHING ROTATION Stephen Strasburg 3.16 Gio Gonzalez * 2.89 Jordan Zimmermann 2.94 Edwin Jackson * 4.03 Ross Detwiler 3.40 Tyler Clippard (closer) 3.72

1B: Adam LaRoche .271

Batting average for position players, ERA for pitchers. Manager: Davey Johnson

C: Jesus Flores .213 Kurt Suzuki

* (asterisk): new player;   # : month+ off due to injury

Nationals, 2012: best batting and pitching records

Batting average		Home runs		RBIs		ERA		Wins		Strikeouts
Ian Desmond	.292	Adam LaRoche	33	Adam LaRoche	100	Gio Gonzalez	2.89	Gio Gonzalez	21	Gio Gonzalez	207

Only qualifying players are included in this table.

Nationals' head-to-head matchups, 2012

Opponent	Wins	Losses
ARI	4	2
ATL	10	8
BAL	2	4
BOS	3	0
CHC	6	1
CHW	0	0
CIN	5	2
CLE	0	0
COL	3	4
DET	0	0
HOU	7	1
KCR	0	0
LAA	0	0
LAD	2	4
MIA	9	9
MIL	5	3
MIN	0	0
NYM	14	4
NYY	0	3
OAK	0	0
PHI	9	9
PIT	2	3
SDP	3	2
SFG	5	1
STL	4	3
SEA	0	0
TBR	2	1
TEX	0	0
TOR	3	0
Total	98	64
(Regular season games only.)

2012 memorable moments

• May 13 -- Joey Votto walk-off grand slam, Reds win 9-6; H. Rod. blown save. @
• May 14 -- Bryce Harper's first home run, Nats beat Padres 8-5.
• May 20 -- Stephen Strasburg's first home run, Nats beat Orioles 9-3.
• May 27 -- Nats complete sweep of Braves, on ESPN-TV; Harper's 4th HR. @
• June 5 -- Bryce Harper GW RBI in 12th inning; Nats 7, Mets 6.
• June 16 -- Ump calls Tyler Moore out at home in 8th; Yanks win 5-3 in 14 inn.
• June 28 -- Rockies up 7-0 in 2nd; Nats come back but lose 11-10 in 11th inn.
• July 20 -- Nats blow 9-0 lead, lose to Braves 11-10 in 11 innings.
• July 29 -- Nats catch up in 9th inning, beat Brewers 11-10 in 11 innings. @
• Aug. 13 -- Nats score 7 runs in 3rd inning, beat Giants 14-2. @
• Aug. 20 -- Nats score 4 runs in 1st inning, beat Braves 5-4 in 13 innings. (?!)
• Aug. 31 -- Nats beat Cardinals 10-0; complete game shutout by Gio Gonzalez.
• Sept. 4,5 -- Nationals hit six home runs in two consecutive days!
• Sept. 8 -- Jayson Werth 9th inn. HR; Nats beat Marlins 7-6 in 10 inn. I was there!
• Sept. 22 -- Gio Gonzalez gets his 20th win; Nats beat Brewers 10-4. I was there!
• Oct. 11 -- Jayson Werth 9th inn. HR; Nats beat Cards 2-1 in NLDS Game 4.
• Oct. 12 -- Nats take 6-0 lead, Cards get 4 in 9th and win 9-7 in NLDS Game 5.

"@" = away game

Nationals, 2012: month-by-month summary

Month	Wins	Losses	NL East place (at end)	Number of home games	Total attendance	Average attendance
April 2012	14	8	1st	10	247,115	24,712
May 2012	15	13	1st	13	381,500	29,346
June 2012	15	11	1st	11	373,781	33,980
July 2012	17	9	1st	14	447,113	31,937
Aug. 2012	19	10	1st	14	397,157	28,368
Sept. 2012 *	17	13	1st	19	523,630	27,559
2012	98	64	1st	81	2,370,294	30,004 ^
Oct. 2012 **	2	3	(NLDS)	3	135,375	45,125
2012 +	100	67	-	84	2,505,669	30,557 ^
* (Including regular season games in October.) ** (Postseason games only.) ^ (excluding two rain-postponed double-headers) SOURCE: My unofficial daily tabulations from MLB Gameday stats, Washington Post, and other newspapers.

Day-to-day winning percentages

2013: The quest for another postseason berth

After their breakout season in 2012, the Nationals began the 2013 season confident in their ability to retain the division title. This time they are aiming even higher, hoping to give their manager Davey Johnson another World Series trophy before he retires at the end of the season. During the off-season, the Nationals acquired outfielder Denard Span from the Minnesota Twins, and pitcher Dan Haren from the L.A. Angels. They also signed Rafael Soriano (formerly of the Yankees) as their new closer. With a crowded outfield, they had little choice but to trade Michael "The Beast" Morse, but they still have one of the strongest lineups, pitching rotations, and bullpens in all the majors. They had a good start, winning seven of their first nine games, but faltered after that, struggling just to stay above .500. Whether they can get back on track and live up to their lofty expectations remains to be seen...

Starting positions, 2013

CF: Denard Span * .279

LF: Bryce Harper .274 Steve Lombardozzi

RF: Jayson Werth .318

SS: Ian Desmond .280

2B: Anthony Rendon * .265 Danny Espinosa

3B: Ryan Zimmerman .275

PITCHING ROTATION Stephen Strasburg 3.00 Gio Gonzalez 3.36 Jordan Zimmermann 3.25 Dan Haren * 4.67 Ross Detwiler 4.04 Rafael Soriano * (closer) 3.11

1B: Adam LaRoche .237

C: Wilson Ramos .272 Kurt Suzuki

Batting average for position players, ERA for pitchers. Manager: Davey Johnson

* (asterisk): new player;

Nationals, 2013: best batting and pitching records

Batting average		Home runs		RBIs		ERA		Wins		Strikeouts
Jayson Werth	.318	Ryan Zimmerman	26	Jayson Werth	82	Stephen Strasburg	3.00	Jordan Zimmermann	19	Gio Gonzalez	192

Only qualifying players are included in this table.

Nationals' head-to-head matchups, 2013

Opponent	Wins	Losses
ARI	4	2
ATL	6	13
BAL	1	3
BOS	0	0
CHC	4	3
CHW	3	0
CIN	4	3
CLE	1	2
COL	4	3
DET	2	2
HOU	0	0
KC	2	1
LAA	0	0
LAD	1	5
MIA	14	5
MIL	4	3
MIN	2	1
NYM	12	7
NYY	0	0
OAK	0	0
PHI	11	8
PIT	3	4
SD	5	2
SEA	0	0
SF	3	3
STL	0	6
TB	0	0
TEX	0	0
TOR	0	0
Total	86	76

2013 memorable moments

• Apr. 1 -- Bryce Harper hits home runs in first two at-bats of the season; WSH 2, MIA 0
• Apr. 25 -- Gio Gonzalez allows one hit in 8 innings to end 4-game losing streak; WSH 8, CIN 1 @
• Apr. 26 -- Jordan Zimmermann allows one hit in 9 innings; complete-game shutout!; WSH 1, CIN 0 @
• May 29 -- Ryan Zimmermann hits 3 home runs, but Jordan Zimmermann allows 4 runs in 7th inning; BAL 9, WSH 6 @
• June 15 -- Nats take early 5-0 lead, fall behind 6-5, then win on Anthony Rendon's 1st home run, in 9th inning. WSH 7, CLE 6 @
• June 19 -- Jayson Werth RBI single tied game in in 9th; Ian Desmond grand slam in 11th. WSH 6, PHI 2 @
• June 28 -- Nats overcome 4-1 deficit with 3 in 8th and 2 in 9th, staying above .500. WSH 6, NYM 4 @
• July 25 -- Bryce Harper hits first career walk-off home run, ending 6-game losing streak; WSH 9, PIT 7
• July 28 -- Wilson Ramos hits first career grand slam, Taylor Jordan gets first career win; WSH 14, NYM 1
• Aug. 11 -- Stephen Strasburg strikes out 10, allows 4 hits in complete-game shutout; WSH 6, PHI 0
• Aug. 17 -- After blown save by R. Soriano, Adam LaRoche homers and Dan Haren saves in 15th inning; WSH 8, ATL 7 @
• Sept. 9 -- Nats hit 5 home runs, Gio Gonzalez allows 1 hit in complete-game shutout; WSH 9, NYM 0 @
• Sept. 13 -- Ryan Zimmermann homers in 3rd straight game, Bryce Harper outfield assists, Nats win 7th straight; WSH 6, PHI 1
• Sept. 17 -- One day after Navy Yard shootings, Nats rally with 3 runs in 9th inning; WSH 6, ATL 5
• Sept. 22 -- Ryan Zimmermann homers, but Nats are eliminated from NL East race; MIA 4, WSH 2 (I was there.)

"@" = away game

Nationals, 2013: month-by-month summary

Month	Wins	Losses	NL East place (at end)	Number of home games	Total attendance	Average attendance
April 2013	13	14	2	16	509,276	31,830
May 2013	15	13	2	10	359,679	35,968
June 2013	13	13	2	12	412,025	34,335
July 2013	11	16	2	18	602,575	33,476
Aug. 2013	16	11	2	14	426,406	30,458
Sept. 2013	18	9	2	11	342,931	31,176
2013	86	76	2	81	2,652,892	32,752
SOURCE: My unofficial daily tabulations from MLB Gameday stats, Washington Post, and other newspapers.

Day-to-day winning percentages

2014: Same lineup, new manager, high hopes for October

After a disappointing year in 2013, the selection of Matt Williams as the Nationals' new manager was received very well, and the team began the season with high hopes for making it to the postseason. Former Tiger pitcher Doug Fister was signed during the off-season, but he was hurt during spring training and will not play until May. Catcher Wilson Ramos hurt himself in Game 1, and will likewise be out for several weeks. Next, Ryan Zimmerman and Bryce Harper both injured a thumb sliding into a base, and both will miss several weeks of play. Even though the Nats started the season off with a bang, including grand slams by Jayson Werth and Ian Desmond, the depleted team fell out of first place during mid-April.

Starting positions, 2014

CF: Denard Span * .

LF: Kevin Frandsen . Bryce Harper

RF: Jayson Werth .

SS: Ian Desmond .

2B: Danny Espinosa . Anthony Rendon

3B: Anthony Rendon . Ryan Zimmerman

PITCHING ROTATION Stephen Strasburg Gio Gonzalez Jordan Zimmermann Doug Fister * Tanner Roark Rafael Soriano (closer)

1B: Adam LaRoche .

C: Wilson Ramos Jose Lobaton

Batting average for position players, ERA for pitchers. Manager: Matt Williams *

* (asterisk): new player;

Nationals' head-to-head matchups, 2014

Opponent	Wins	Losses
Total	0	0

2014 memorable moments

• April 9 -- After Marlins take 5-0 lead, Bryce Harper homers and Jayson Werth hits a grand slam; WSH 10, MIA 7
• April 23 -- Nats score 4 runs in bottom of the 9th, thus averting being swept by the Angels; WSH 5, LAA 4

"@" = away game

Nationals, 2014: month-by-month summary

Month	Wins	Losses	NL East place (at end)	Number of home games	Total attendance	Average attendance
April 2014	16	12	2 (T)	17	491,404	28,906
May 2014	11	15	3	13	411,783	31,676
June 2014
July 2014
Aug. 2014
Sept. 2014
2014
SOURCE: My unofficial daily tabulations from MLB Gameday stats, Washington Post, and other newspapers.

2015:

Starting positions, 2015

CF: Denard Span * .

LF: Bryce Harper . Steve Lombardozzi

RF: Jayson Werth .

SS: Ian Desmond .

2B: Anthony Rendon * . Danny Espinosa

3B: Ryan Zimmerman .

PITCHING ROTATION Stephen Strasburg Gio Gonzalez Jordan Zimmermann Dan Haren * Ross Detwiler Rafael Soriano * (closer) 3.11

1B: Adam LaRoche .

C: Wilson Ramos . Kurt Suzuki

Batting average for position players, ERA for pitchers. Manager: Davey Johnson

* (asterisk): new player;

Nationals' head-to-head matchups, 2015

Opponent	Wins	Losses
Total	0	0

2015 memorable moments

• TBA

"@" = away game

Nationals, 2015: month-by-month summary

Month	Wins	Losses	NL East place (at end)	Number of home games	Total attendance	Average attendance
April 2015	14	8	1st	10	247,115	24,712
May 2015	15	13	1st	13	381,500	29,346
June 2015	15	11	1st	11	373,781	33,980
July 2015
Aug. 2015
Sept. 2015
2015
SOURCE: My unofficial daily tabulations from MLB Gameday stats, Washington Post, and other newspapers.