Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals brought MLB back to the nation's capital after a 33-year absence, playing at Nationals Park along the Anacostia River since 2008. The franchise built its identity around homegrown young stars, most notably Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg, culminating in a magical run to the franchise's first championship. The Nationals remain a symbol of D.C.'s return to the baseball map.

The franchise began in 1969 as the Montreal Expos, Canada's first MLB team, before relocating to Washington, D.C. in 2005 and becoming the Nationals. After years of near-misses in the postseason, the Nationals authored one of baseball's great underdog stories in 2019, rallying from a 19-31 start behind Juan Soto, Anthony Rendon, and Max Scherzer to win the franchise's first World Series title over the Houston Astros.