Washington Nationals

51 Pages·2014·8.019 MB·English

by  Ben Goessling

WASHINGTON
NATIONALS
by Ben Goessling
An Imprint of Abdo Publishing
www.abdopublishing.com
www.abdopublishing.com
Published by Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO, PO Box 398166,
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55439. Copyright © 2015 by Abdo Consulting Group,
Inc. International copyrights reserved in all countries. No part of this book
may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.
SportsZone is a trademark and logo of Abdo Publishing.
Printed in the United States of America,
North Mankato, Minnesota
052014
092014
Editor: Matt Tustison
Copy Editor: Nicholas Cafarelli
Interior Design and Production: Craig Hinton
Cover Design: Craig Hinton
Photo Credits: Nick Wass/AP Images, cover, title, 44; Lawrence Jackson/AP
Images, 4, 43 (middle); Kevork Djansezian/AP Images, 7; Lawrence Jackson/
AP Images, 8; Gene J. Puskar/AP Images, 11; Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty
Images, 12; AP Images, 15, 42 (top); RH/AP Images, 16; Photo by Ronald C.
Modra/Sports Imagery/Getty Images, 18, 21; AP Images, 22, 42 (middle); Paul
Sakuma/AP Images, 25, 42 (bottom); Craig Fujii/AP Images, 26; Photo by
Mitchell Layton/Getty Images, 29; David Zalubowski/AP Images, 30, 43 (top);
Paul Chiasson/AP Images, 33; Haraz Ghanbari/AP Images, 34; Paul Connors/
AP Images, 37; Jacquelyn Martin/AP Images, 38, 47; Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
Images, 41, 43 (bottom)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2014933087
Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Goessling, Ben, 1983-
Washington Nationals / by Ben Goessling.
p. cm. — (Inside MLB)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-62403-489-3
1. Washington Nationals (Baseball team)—History—Juvenile Literature. I.
Title.
GV863.W18G64 2015
796.357’6409753—dc23
2014933087
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1
Chapter .............B aseball Returns
to Washington, 4
2
Chapter .............B aseball Arrives
in Montreal, 12
3
Chapter .............A New Stadium,
and New Hope, 18
4
Chapter .............Heartbreak and Good-Byes, 26
5
Chapter .............A New City, and New Hope, 34
Timeline, 42
Quick Stats, 44
Quotes and Anecdotes, 45
Glossary, 46
For More Information, 47
Index, 48
About the Author, 48
1
CHAPTER
BASEBALL RETURNS
TO WASHINGTON
I
n April 2005, big-league baseball was back
in the nation’s capital for the first time in
34 years. After the 1960 season and then
again after the 1971 season, major league
teams left Washington DC. They went to
Minnesota and Texas, respectively, and
became the Twins and the Rangers.
Washington did not have their first season in Wash-
a baseball team from 1972 ington. The team had traded
to 2004. In 2005, however, away many of its best players
the Montreal Expos moved during its final years in Mon-
to Washington and became treal. In fact, Major League
the Washington Nationals. Baseball (MLB) had planned
Baseball had returned to to remove the Expos in 2001.
Washington. MLB owned the team when it
The Nationals were not moved to Washington and oper-
expected to be very good in ated it on a small budget. When
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5
BASEBALL RETURNS TO WASHINGTON
the Nationals started the 2005 of the season. Pitcher Livan
season, they played with a ros- Hernandez, right fielder Jose
ter made up largely of castoffs Guillen, and first baseman
and a few rising young players. Nick Johnson were among the
The team still gave its new city players who lifted the team.
a thrill, though. Washington led the NL East
The Nationals had the sec- Division by 2 1/2 games at the
ond-best record in the National All-Star break. It looked as if
League (NL) after the first half the Nationals had a chance to
become the first Washington
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MMMLLLBBB aaannnnnnooouuunnnccceeeddd aafffttteeerrr ttthhheee 222000000444 since 1933. They also had a
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chance to become the first team
wwoouulldd mmoovvee ttoo WWaasshhiinnggttoonn aanndd
in franchise history to reach the
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bbeeggaann ttoo ooppeerraattee iittss ooffffffiicceess iinnn playoffs since 1981. That year,
aaa tttrrraaaiiillleeerrr ooouuutttsssiiidddeee RRRFFFKKK SSStttaaadddiiiuuummm iiinnn
the Expos came up a game short
WWaasshhiinnggttoonn.. HHoowweevveerr,, tthhee mmoovvee
nnneeeaaarrrlllyyy fffeeellllll aaapppaaarrrttt wwwhhheeennn ccciiitttyyy cccooouuunnnccciiilll of making the World Series.
mmmeeemmmbbbeeerrrsss iiinnn WWWaaassshhhiiinnngggtttooonnn ccchhhaaannngggeeeddd
In the second half of the
tthhee ppllaann ttoo ppaayy fffoorr aa nneeww ssttaaddiiuumm..
TThhee tteeaamm sshhuutt ddoowwnn iittss ooffffiicceess aanndd season, however, the Nationals
aaannnnnnooouuunnnccceeeddd ttthhhaaattt iiittt wwwooouuulllddd cccooonnnsssiiidddeeerrr
collapsed. They started the year
llooookkiinngg ffoorr aa nneeww cciittyy iinn wwhhiicchh ttoo
50–31 but finished it 31–50. In
ppllaayy.. IInn DDeecceemmbbeerr 22000044,, tthhoouugghh,, tthhee
ccciiitttyyy cccooouuunnnccciiilll aaapppppprrrooovvveeeddd aaa ppplllaaannn tttooo pppaaayyy the process, they lost the divi-
ffoorr tthhee ssttaaddiiuumm.. TThhee NNaattiioonnaallss wweerree
sion lead and a chance to win
ssseeettt tttooo bbbeeegggiiinnn ttthhheeeiiirrr fffiiirrrsssttt ssseeeaaasssooonnn iiinnn DDDCCC...
the wild-card playoff spot. In
Washington’s Jose Guillen runs the bases in 2005. Guillen’s strong play was
one of the reasons the Nationals finished a surprising 81–81 that year.
6
WASHINGTON NATIONALS
7
BASEBALL RETURNS TO WASHINGTON
8
WASHINGTON NATIONALS