Washington Nationals 2025 Season

THE LEAD

The Nationals inducted their inaugural team into the Ring of Honor on Saturday afternoon, though just five alumni were present from that team: Jamey Carroll, Chad Cordero, John Patterson, Brian Schneider, and Ryan Zimmerman (the Z-Man is, of course, a team employee).

The Chief threw out the first pitch to Schneider, and Patterson’s son made the call to “play ball!” It felt like a light showing for the official 20-year reunion of what was an exciting team that (unlike any Davey Martinez team) blitzed out to a 50-31 start behind an all-time squad of “remembering some (obscure) guys.” How many of the other fifty Nationals from the inaugural season can YOU name? Email us or drop a comment, and we will put your name in for a random door prize.

 Washington Nationals 2025 Season

Game Recap

I did not have “Nats get to Corbin Burnes” on my bingo card yesterday. The new Diamondbacks ace looked like a rather ordinary version of himself Sunday afternoon, with the Nats tagging him for seven hits and three walks en route to four of their five runs in a 5-4 victory. Paul DeJong has been doing his best Joey Gallo imitation at third base (excellent defense, tons of swing-and-miss), but doubled twice off of Burnes with the game’s second and tenth-highest exit velocities (the top spot belonged to Corbin Carroll, who hit a triple 115.8 off the bat in the first).

Every National reached base at least once, but the bullpen had to go and make it interesting, failing to keep a clean sheet for the eighth consecutive time to open the season, and Kyle Finnegan had to strand the tying run on third base for the save.

 Washington D.C. Area Sports

The Great 8

A different cool thing happened in local sports this weekend. Despite growing up in Alaska, I am not a hockey fan (I enjoy watching it—especially live—but will never seek it out). Still, it’s pretty cool to break any career record of the greatest hockey player of all time. Alex Ovechkin, the most lethal scorer in NHL history, is now just five goals away from being the first NHL player to cross the 900 threshold.

 theFUTURE

Down on the Farm

Later today. Richard will have a Monday edition of theFUTURE, where he will wrap up this weekend’s past action from all the minor league teams and look ahead to this week’s home openers for the Fredericksburg Nationals, Harrisburg Senators, and Wilmington Blue Rocks. Rochester will be on a road trip this week and into this weekend.

Tune in every Monday during the season for an edition of theFUTURE, our newsletter dedicated to the Washington Nationals’ minor league teams.

In theFUTURE we will wrap up minor league action from the past series and a look ahead, along with other important headlines, analysis from Down on the Farm.

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 WHAT WE THINK THE NATIONALS FRONT OFFICE IS READING

Speed Reads

📌 Sources: Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays agree on $500 million deal (ESPN)

📌 MLB commissioner Rob Manfred makes his stance clear on controversial torpedo bats (NY Post)

📌 'Torpedo bats' aren't cheat codes for MLB hitters (YAHOO! Sports)