The Nationals locked up the best record in baseball on Wednesday afternoon before a crowd of 35,000+ on a day that felt nothing like October. The warm weather and sunshine felt more like a day out of July or August than a part of the Fall, a confusion not lost on the team or its fans. The Nationals finished off the Phillies’ hopes for a winning season with a 5-1 victory, lead by Edwin Jackson (10-11, 4.03 ERA) and the bats of Michael Morse, Tyler Moore and Ryan Zimmerman.

Bigger than that, though, Teddy Roosevelt picked up his first win in the Presidents Race, to the cheers of the assembled. The long-suffering racing President, Roosevelt had lost more than 500 races in the years since the Presidents’ Race began, becoming a national joke in the process. Roosevelt, famous for his extensive manly accomplishments, finally drew a win with the help of the Phauxnatic – a faux Philly mascot – and drew a standing ovation from the crowd for his efforts.

It was shortly after Teddy’s first victory that the spark returned to the Nationals’ bats, with Ryan Zimmerman leading off the bottom of the fourth inning with a towering drive that landed in the Nationals’ bullpen, tying the game at 1 apiece. Michael Morse would nearly go back to back with Zimmerman, hitting a double off the very top edge of the wall. Tyler Moore would put the Nationals ahead with another double, and any talk of Teddy’s victory jinxing the Nationals went out the window.

The Nationals are now the number one seed in the National League Playoffs, which begin on Friday in Atlanta. Atlanta will face St. Louis in the Wild Card play-in game, a new feature of the playoffs this year. After that, the Nationals will travel to play games 1 and 2 of the NLDS on the road on Sunday and Monday, and with games 3-5 in DC on Wednesday through Friday of next week.

The prospect of playoff baseball in Washington is nothing short of astonishing when you consider the dismal seasons from 2006 to 2010 here in DC, which represent 478 of the team’s 704 losses. The team has spent five of its first eight seasons in DC at the bottom of the NL East, and to be at the top, you could hear it in the crowd as they belted out Michael Morse’s walk-up music in the 8th inning. 

The Nationals will work out in DC on Friday before heading out on Saturday for the first two games of the NLDS.

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Tonight, the Washington Nationals were shut out by the Phillies, 2-0, a home loss to the hated Phillies.

No one noticed that they lost.

The Nationals clinched the NL East by dint of the Pirates beating the Braves – word of which came in the middle of the 9th inning by way of the out of town scoreboard. There was a long pause as Aumont warmed for the Phillies, and the dugout erupted into shouts and hugs as the Nationals secured the first baseball division championship since 1948 (Homestead Grays) and the first MLB division championship since 1933. Five minutes later, it was over and the Nats had been 6-hit shutout victims at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies.

It was the happiest of losses.

The crowd tonight at Nationals Park was a living, breathing force of nature. Every small rally attempt crackled with enthusiasm and energy, even when they trailed, and even when Philly looked unhittable. It’s hard to think that getting shutout at home wouldn’t dampen the crowd, but that was not to be.

The Nationals had some highlights, despite their troubles at the plate: Craig Stammen’s 6 swinging strikeouts in 2 IP, Bryce Harper’s double off the wall after running square into in the 2nd, and 35,000+ singing along with Take On Me as Morse waited in the on-deck circle in the 9th.

What a night for the Nationals to complete their worst-to-first cycle. Two years after losing 93, they’ve won 96, and the National League East, and are still fighting for the number one seed in the playoffs.

Most telling about the night’s festivities, I think, was the Nationals coming back out on the field with beers and champagne bottles to spray on their fans, gathered behind the dugout, along the left field wall, and beyond. This was not a celebration limited to the clubhouse, to the insiders; no, this was one for and with the fans who slogged through years in substandard conditions at RFK, for those that slogged through awful play in 2007 – 2009, for those that have worn their Curly Ws in a town who only has ever had time for the Redskins.

This was the happiest loss you’ll ever see.

The Nationals have two home games remaining before the playoffs. We are proud to announce that We Love DC is credentialed through the first round of the playoffs, and we will be bringing to you their games’ stories as this historic run continues.

Jets15
courtesy of Homer McFanboy

For the third week in a row the Redskins ended up with the ball late in the fourth quarter down by one score, but this time was different. It was different because those watching were left with little confidence in Billy Cundiff after he had missed three field goals earlier in the game, and it was different because this time when the Redskins moved within striking range their wasn’t a penalty that pushed them out of it. The final drive for the Redskins went a little something like this. Robert Griffin III 15 yard pass to Santana Moss, 20 yard pass to Fred Davis, pass to Evan Royster for 4 yards, 15 yard run, incomplete pass, false start, 24 yard pass to Santana Moss. All to get the Redskins in range for a last second Billy Cundiff 41 yard field goal.

There is one common thread throughout all of those plays in that last drive and that is RGIII. The Redskins are still a team without a good secondary and that still has issues along the offensive line, but once again RGIII didn’t just look like the best rookie quarterback in the NFL, he looked like one of the best. The Redskins are 2-2 in spite of the excellent play of RGIII. He can’t do it all on his own and that was also on display in this football game.

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