The
logo of the Washington Nationals represents the blue banner
outlined with red ribbon and “Washington’ inscribed on it
and a blue ring with 9 stars placed on a baseball. The nine
stars depict the nine positions of a baseball team.
History
of Washington Nationals
One
of the latest entrants in the Major League Baseball,
Washington Nationals isn’t an expansion franchise as such.
The Washington Nationals, previously known as Montreal Expos
during 1969-2004, stayed at Montreal before being shifted to
the National Capital in the 2004 season’s end.
Montreal
Expos was the first Major League team outside U.S and played
its first match on April 8, 1969. Even after putting in
brilliant efforts the Expos weren’t able to make it ahead of
last slot with a meager 52-110 record. The first manager of
Expos, Gene Mauch & other three managers during 1969-78
also couldn’t save the 10 consecutive losing seasons of the
Expos.
It
was under the supervision of manager Dick Williams that the
team was able to register a winning record with a 95-65 margin
in 1979. During the 1981 season the team was able to won their
only Division title.
Manager
Buck Rodgers wasn’t able to revive the adverse state of the
team in mid 1980s. The team regained its confidence with the
new manager Felipe Alou who helped the team in making it to
the second slot in the National League East in 1992 and 1993.
Unfortunately,
the strike brought a sudden termination to the game when the
Expos were playing exceptionally well with a good lead of
74-40 in 1994. Expos weren’t successful in any of the games
after 1994, they could only manage 2nd slot in
1996. Expos had to suffer the loss of several prominent
players due to the free agencies & trades.
In
Montreal, the Expos played their last match in 2004 & made
it to the 5th slot. It was only in 2005 when the
Senators departed for Texas and the game was back to
Washington, DC. The orphaned and haphazard Expos shifted to
the Capital city. The MLB is still looking for a permanent
owner for the Washington Nationals. Potomac soon ran out of
stock, as the introduction of their logo made the uniform of
the Washington Nationals a craze amongst its fans. The first
game that the Washington Nationals played with this name was
held on April 11, 2005.
The
names in the Hall of Fame of Washington Nationals include Tony
Perez 1B & Gary Carter C. The numbers that have been
retired are Jackie Robinson, Tim Raines, Andre Dawson, Gary
Carter and Rusty Staub.
Stadium
History Of Washington Nationals
Inaugurated
in 1962, Robert F. Kennedy or the RFK stadium is the current
stadium for the Washington Nationals. Earlier it was used as a
baseball facility for years.
The
Montreal Expos used to play at the stadiums like Park Jerry
during 1969-76, Stade Olympique during 1977-2004 and Hiram
Bithorn Stadium during 2003-04. Year 2008 is planned for the
inauguration of the new stadium for Washington Nationals.
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