Washington Nationals

As the baseball season continues I will have more detailed coverage of the playoff races. Additionally there will be an overview of the teams that are very likely to enter what is now a 10 team baseball post season tournament.

Right now the Washington Nationals have the best record in baseball (72-44) and lead the Atlanta Braves by 5 and a half games in the NL East. They are 9 games ahead to make the playoffs. The Nationals, who were the Montreal Expos until the 2005 season, have quite a 1-2 pitching duo in Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez. The latter is (15-6), the former is (13-5). The Washington D.C. team is managed by Davey Johnson, a fine player and big league manager, who managed the ’86 Mets to a World title and made the last out when they won their other title in 1969.

No Washington D.C. baseball team has made the post season since 1933 and there have been at best a handful of seasons when one contended for such a spot. As the Expos, this franchise made only one post season appearance and that was in the strike marred 1981 season. In 1994, the Expos appeared headed for post season but a strike wiped out the rest of the season. That year the Expos and New York Yankees had the best records in their respective leagues the National and American when the strike took place. Beginning play on August 14th, those two franchises again have the best records in their respective leagues. This time there will be no strike and the Expos are the Washington Nationals and quite a story.