Washington Nationals Tickets Information

The Washington Nationals are a Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise based in Washington, D.C. The team is also known by its nickname The Nats. The current Nationals team played in Montreal as the Montreal Expos before the 2005 season. When the Washington Senators moved to the Dallas/Fort Worth area, becoming the Texas Rangers, the team's relocation was the first in Major League Baseball since 1972.The franchise has the honor of becoming Washington's first in the National League since 1899. It was owned by Major League Baseball from 2002 until mid-2006. Under Theodre N.Lerner, a new ownership group was selected on May 3, 2006. The group formally took possession of the team on July 22, 2006. The President of the team is Stan Kasten who was former longtime Atlanta Braves sports executive.

The Nationals play as a member of the National League's Eastern Division. Both previous Nationals/Senators teams currently play at DC United's home Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium. This venue was previously the ballpark for the second Senators team. In the spring of 2008, the team is expected to move into a new ballpark, located in Southeast D.C. near the Anacostia River.

Brad Wilkerson had the honor of being the first batter for the Washington Nationals on April 4, 2005. In the new team's history, he made the first hit.However, Kenny Lofton and Jon Lieber lead the home team Philadelphia Phillies to an 8-4 victory over the new Nationals at Citizens Bank Park.In this contest, the team's first home run was hit by Outfielder Termel Sledge.

The Washington Nationals were successful in winning their first-ever regular season game by beating the Phillies, 7-3 on April 6, 2005.

The Washington Nationals won their first regular season home game at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C, on April 14, 2005. President George W. Bush threw out the ceremonial first pitch on opening day in Washington. It had been the tradition of sitting U.S. Presidents to throw out the first pitch started by Wiliam Howard Taft at Griffith Stadium 95 years ago.

Brad Wilkerson has the honor of becoming the first Washington Nationals player to ever hit a grand slam on August 4, 2005. He made this record against the Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher, Duaner Sanchez. The Nationals won the game 7-0, on a four-hit complete game shutout by John Patterson.

The Nationals' midseason attendance totals exceeded the Expos' 2004 total attendance due to team's surprising 2005 first half showing. The final attendance for the 2005 season was 2,731,993; the 2005 total in Washington, D.C. exceeded the previous three seasons in Montreal combined (2002-2004) and was 11th in MLB.

In the history of RFK stadium, the second largest ever attendance to see a single baseball game was recorded on Father's Day, June 18, 2006. The paid attendance was 45,157. The Nationals beat the New York Yankees 3-2 on a two-out two-run walk-off home run by rookie Ryan Zimmerman in that game.

In the first day-night doubleheader in Washington Nationals history, the Nationals rally from three runs down in the first game and from five runs down in the second game to take a day-night doubleheader sweep from the Arizona Diamondbacks on September 2, 2006,

The Nationals won 5-2 when Ramon Ortiz takes a no-hitter into the ninth inning, yet gives up a single to Aaron Miles on his 2nd pitch in the 9th to break up his no-hitter.

Alfonso Soriano becomes the fourth player to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a season when he steals his 40th base in the first inning of a game vs. the Philadelphia Phillies on September 16, 2006,. Soriano follows that feat on September 22 by hitting his 40th double vs. the New York Mets, becoming the first member of the "40-40 Club" to also hit 40 doubles in the same season.

Television and radio broadcast rights to Nationals games are handled by the Orioles franchise, who formed a new network (the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network) to produce and distribute the games for both franchises on both local affiliates and cable/satellite systems.

The Nationals were the 6th most valuable franchise in Major League Baseball at $440 million in the 2006 annual estimates made by Forbes Magazine.