History of the Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals began as the Montreal Expos in 1969, but they changed their name and country when they moved to Washington in 2005. Although they have been to the postseason several times, they have yet to win a National League pennant. Their best season was in 2012, when they had 98 wins and 64 losses.

1969

The Montreal Expos were established as a National League expansion team in 1969. They were one of only two Canadian teams, preceding the Toronto Blue Jays. They played at Jarry Park Stadium from 1969 through 1976.

The Expos had a very poor start in 1969, finishing the season with 52 wins and 110 losses. Their first manager was Gene Mauch.

1970-1979

The Expos had only losing seasons from 1970 through 1978. In 1977, they moved their home games to Olympic Stadium, which seemed to help the team. Although they still had a losing season in 1978, they had 95 wins and 65 losses in 1979. However, even with that good record, they didn't make it to the postseason.

Mauch continued to manage the team through 1975. He was followed in 1976 by Karl Kuehl and Charlie Fox, who was the team's interim manager for 34 games. Dick Williams took over in 1977 and he continued to manage the team through part of 1981.

In the mid-1970s, the Expos added two future Hall of Fame players to their roster. Catcher Gary Carter played with them from 1974 through 1984, and outfielder Andre Dawson played with them from 1976 to 1986. Tim Raines joined the team in 1979 and he continued with them through 1990.

1980-1989

Gary Carter, Andre Dawson, and Tim Raines helped dramatically change the team in the 1980s. They went from a losing team to one that had six winning seasons (1980-1983, 1985, 1987). And, finally, in the strike-shortened 1981 season, the Expos went to the postseason. They defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS, but they lost the pennant race to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Although the Expos continued to have winning seasons for much of the decade, they didn't make it to another postseason. Their best season was 1987, when they had 91 wins and 71 losses. That year, their manager, Buck Rodgers, was named the NL Manager of the Year.

Rodgers was preceded by three other Expos managers in the 1980s. Dick Williams and Jim Fanning managed in 1981, with Fanning continuing in the position in 1982, and again in 1984. Bill Virdon managed in 1983 and 1984.

1990-1999

Although the Expos had five winning seasons in the 1990s, they didn't get to the postseason during those years. They had their best season in 1993, with 94 wins and 68 losses, but it wasn't enough to earn them a playoff spot. They had a potentially championship team again in 1994, with players such as Moises Alou and future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez, but the season ended early due to another baseball strike.

Felipe Alou, father of Moises, managed the team from 1992 through 2001. He was named the NL Manager of the Year in 1994.

2000-2009

After years with no postseasons, low attendance, and ownership problems, major league baseball bought the Expos in 2002. Three years later, the team was moved to Washington, D.C. and renamed the Washington Nationals. They played at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium from 2005 through 2007. They moved to Nationals Park in 2008.

In July, 2006, the Nationals were sold to Lerner Enterprises, headed by Ted Lerner. One of Lerner's first actions was to hire Stan Kasten, who had been instrumental in the structuring of the winning Atlanta Braves team of the 1980s and 1990s, as the new president of the Nationals. Another move was to build up the Nationals farm system and acquire new players. One of those players was Ryan Zimmerman.

2010-2019

The Nationals continued to struggle in 2010 and 2011, although their record improved to 80-81 under new manager Davey Johnson's leadership in 2011. The following year, he became the team's third NL Manager of the Year, when he led them to the best record in major league baseball with 98 wins and 64 losses. They won the NL East division title in 2012, but they lost the NLDS to the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Nationals continued to have winning seasons from 2013 through 2018, and they went to the postseason three more times. However, with every year that they didn't make the postseason, they changed managers, having four managers in six years.

At the end of the 2013 season, after the Nationals finished in second place in the NL East with 86 wins and 76 losses, Davey Johnson was fired. Matt Williams came on to lead the team for the next two seasons. They won the NL East division title again in 2014 with 96 wins and 66 losses, but they lost the NLDS to the San Francisco Giants. Once again, the Nationals had a NL Manager of the Year, this time with Williams winning the award. However, in 2015, after the team finished in second place in the division, Matt Williams was out of a job.

The Nationals started the 2016 season with Dusty Baker as their new manager. He led them to first place finishes in the NL East division in both 2016 and 2017, but he was fired after they lost the NLDS both years. In 2016, they had 95 wins and 67 losses and they lost the NLDS to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The following season was similar, with 97 wins and 65 losses and an NLDS loss to the Chicago Cubs.

Dave Martinez was the new manager of the Nationals in 2018. He led the team to 82 wins and 80 losses and a second place finish in the NL East division.

The Nationals had an outstanding season in 2019, finishing in second place in the NL East division with 93 wins and 69 losses. They defeated the Milwaukee Brewers in the Wild Card game and then went on to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Division Series (3 games to 2 games). They won four straight games in the NL Championship Series over the St. Louis Cardinals and then faced the Houston Astros in the World Series. It took them seven games to win that series and to be named the best team in baseball in 2019.

2020-2022

In the shortened 2020 season, the Nationals went from World Series champions to the worst team in the NL East division. They finished the season with 26 wins and 34 losses.

The Nationals continued to be in the bottom of the NL East division in 2021 and 2022. They had 65 wins and 97 losses in 2021, and the following season their record was even worse with just 55 wins and 107 losses.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Washington Nationals
Baseball Reference - Washington Nationals