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1899: After eight years in which the franchise never finished .500 or better
the Washington Senators of the National League are one of four teams
eliminated when the League is reduced from 12 teams to eight.



1901: With the NL reducing itself, The new league called the American League
would have eight teams including three teams in cities that lost franchise
after the 1899 season, including Washington. In the franchise's first season,
the Nationals finish 61-72 and in 6th place in AL.



1905: The Nationals come out with new uniforms with their team name written
across the chest for everyone to see. The Nats would only where the uniform
for two seasons, while the name Nationals has trouble catching on and after
the team gets rid of it. Ironically the Nats/Senators would go 52 years
before Senators would appear on the uniform long after it had become standard
practice.



1907: Walter Johnson makes his debut for the Nationals after pitching on a
Minor League team in Idaho. Although not knowing it from the look of his
delivery, Johnson would go on to confound batters for the next 21 years and
establish himself as one of the greatest pitchers of all time.



1909: On July 16th, the Nationals, and he Detroit Tigers played to a 0-0 tie
over 18 innings. That game still stands as the longest scoreless game in
American League history.



1910: On April 10th, President William H. Taft became the first President of
the United States to throw out the first ball of the major league season. The
game turns out to be a classic as he witnesses a one-hit Walter Johnson
performance in a Nationals 3-0 victory over the Philadelphia Athletics.



1924: On opening day President Calvin Coolidge throws out the season's first
pitch, and the Nationals go on to win. In September the Nats were still in
the race, but most expected the New York Yankees to pass them. However, there
was something special about this Nats team, led by Walter Johnson, who won
the pitchers triple crown again. With a big series against the Yankees the
Nationals shocked all of baseball by sweeping the defending Champions to win
their first ever AL Pennant by two games with a 92-62 record.



1924: For the first time in their history the Washington Nationals had made
it to the World Series. Their opponent was the New York Giants who were
making it to the Fall Classic for the 4th year in a row. Game 1 would not be
decided until the 12th Inning when Ross Youngs delivered a single off Walter
Johnson to give the Giants the opener. The Nats would bounce back to win Game
2 in dramatic fashion on Roger Peckinpaugh's game winning double in the 9th.
The Nats would fall again in Game 3, as Bucky Harris' error played a key part
in a Giants rally. The Nats would bounce back to tie the series at two games
apiece in Game 4 thanks to Goose Goslin's four-hit game that was highlighted
by a 3-run Homer. However, the Nats would lose Game 5 as Walter Johnson was
hit hard. After the game Johnson apologized publicly for his 2nd Series loss.
The loss put the Nats on the brink, down 3-2.



1924: With the series returning to Washington the Nats were on the brink, and
nobody gave them a chance since it looked as if Walter Johnson would not
pitch again, after being ineffective in three World Series appearances. The
6th game would see a duel between leftie Tom Zachary and Art Nehrf. The Nats
Zachary would eventually get the upper hand when Bucky Harris knocked in two
runs in the 5th with a single. Those runs would stand as the Nats forced a
7th game with 2-1 victory. In Game 7 the Nats saw an early lead evaporate as
the Giants took a 3-1 lead into the 8th. However magic was still hanging over
the skies of Washington. The Nats would score two runs to tie the game at 3.
However the Giants looked on the verge of grabbing the lead back right away
as they loaded the bases with nobody out. The Nats desperate to hold on
called on Walter Johnson to keep the game tied. Looking to atone for his poor
performance in Game 5 Walter Johnson would not allow a run to score. The game
would move into extra innings and Johnson was determined to finish the deal,
and he held the Giants off the board through the 12th Inning. In the bottom
of the 12th, Nats Catcher Muddy Ruel would get a one-out single he was
followed by a single from Walter Johnson. This set up runners on 1st and 2nd
with one-out.  Earl McNeely stepped up in the plate and hit a slow roller
down the 3rd base line. As the Giants Fred Lindstrom bent down to pick the
ball up that magic struck one last time. The ball hit a pebble and rolled
away and Muddy Ruel lumbered home with series winning run. The Nationals were
World Champions for the 1st and only time. Even Walter Johnson could not
contain himself, as he was teary eyed in the on field celebration that
ensued. The following day the Nats were greeted with a heroes parade down
Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House where they were greeted by the same
President Cooldige that threw out the first pitch of the magical season.



1925:  With the New York Yankees floundering all season long, thanks to
injuries and suspensions of Babe Ruth the Nationals have no real challenge
and win their 2nd straight pennant fairly easily with a 96-65 record. In the
Fall Classic standing between the Nats and a 2nd straight World Championship
were the Pittsburgh Pirates. With Walter Johnson winning twice, while
shutting down the Pirates offense to just one run in two games, as the Nats
take a three-games-to-one lead. However, the magic that was on the Nationals
side vanishes as the Pirates claw back to take the next 2 to force a 7th and
deciding game in Pittsburgh. In Game 7, a tired Walter Johnson was battered
for nine runs on 15 hits, as the Nats became the first team ever to blow a
3-1 series lead in a seven-game series.



1927: After his 21st season, Walter Johnson perhaps baseball's greatest
pitcher ever retires. Despite playing much of his career on mediocre
Washington teams Johnson manages to win 416 games in his career good enough
for 2nd al-time. He also closes out his career with a 2.17 career ERA good
enough for 7th on the all-time list. Perhaps most impressively Johnson would
end his career with 3,508 strikeouts, which stood as the record for nearly 60
years. In addition Johnson would conclude his career with 110 career shut
outs a record that stills stands today.



1933: The Nats, whose stumble at the finish of the regular season continues
in the World Series, lost as the New York Giants easily took care of them in
five games. It would be the final World Series appearance for the franchise
while in Washington.



1955: With the hit song "You gotta have heart", the play "Damn Yankees" opens
on Broadway. The plot sees a long suffering fan of the Nationals make a deal
with the Devil for him to be able to help his Nationals beat the New York
Yankees and make the World Series. Unfortunately for the real Nats no fan
comes forward to make such a deal and the team ends the season in the AL
basement with a 53-101 record.



1956: After more then 50 years of insisting the team was officially called
the Nationals the team finally change its nickname to the more commonly
called Senators. The name change does not do anything to save the sinking
ship that is Washington Baseball as the club finishes with a woeful 59-95
record.



1960: Since taking over for his father in 1955 Calvin Griffith began eyeing
Minnesota as a new home for the ball club. Citing an aging stadium and
diminished crowds, Griffith pleaded with other owners to allow him to move.
However, many members of Congress did not want to see Washington lose their
ball club since they enjoyed going to a game after a long week on Capital
Hill. This made owners worry that the Senate would take away Baseball's
anti-trust exemption. Complicating matters was Griffith's refusal to agree to
a new stadium in Washington. The team owned Griffith stadium, and they would
get every dime out of it. With a new stadium they would not get such a deal.
The Senators also benefited by collecting rent from the NFL Redskins. Thus
Griffith also refused to let the skins out of their lease holding up any
chance of a new stadium. At the same time expansion was beginning to take
shape. With expansion AL owners found a way to make all parities happy.
Washington would get one of two new expansion teams, and Griffith would be
allowed to move to Minnesota. Griffith agreed, but insisted the expansion
come a year earlier, and he would be able to keep the club's history despite
leaving behind the club's nickname for the expansion team. With that, one
Washington Senators franchise died, and as a new Senators ball club was about
to be born. In the final year of the old Senators the team would finish in
5th place with a 73-81 record.



1960: News arrives that one of the two expansion teams will be placed in
Washington to replace the charter AL franchise that moved to Minnesota.
Although the team will pick up the old name Senators, it will be as an
expansion team, since the team that moved to Minnesota was allowed to keep
its history.



1961: On April 10th in front of 26,724 at Griffith Stadium, President John F.
Kennedy throws out the first pitch, as the "New" Washington Senators lose to
Chicago White Sox by a score of 4-3.



1962: On April 9th the Senators beat the Detroit Tigers 4-1 in their new
state-of-the-art ballpark District of Columbia Stadium.



1968: Major League Baseball goes international as it announces it will expand
North of the border to Montreal for the 1969 season. Montreal, the largest
city in Canada, had a rich history with Minor League Baseball, including the
Dodgers farm club - the Montreal Royals - that Jackie Robinson played for in
1946. Business executive Charles Bronfman of the Seagram's distilling empire
owned the new team, which was called the Expos.



1969: On April 8th the Expos beat the New York Mets in their first game ever
at Shea Stadium 11-10. Six days later in the first Major League game played
in Canada the Expos win their home opener at Jarry Park against the St. Louis
Cardinals 8-7, thanks to Mack Jones three-run HR. Just three days after the
Home Opener, the Expos would make history again, when Bill Stoneman no-hits
the Philadelphia Phillies at Jarry Park, making the Expos the fastest team
ever to throw a no-hitter.



1969: Opening Day draws one of the largest crowds in Senators history, as DC
Stadium is renamed RFK stadium in honor of former U.S. Senator, and Attorney
General Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1968 during a run for the
presidency, which his brother had held until his 1963 assassination in
Dallas. Another draw to RFK Stadium was new Manager Ted Williams, who many
consider the greatest hitter of all-time.



1971: The worst news for the fans of the Senators had nothing to do with
their 5th Place 63-96 finish. For years the Senators had trouble-drawing fans
to their stadium, it led to the departure of Washington's original team to
Minnesota in 1960. The AL, which did not want to lose its Washington
presence, expanded right away replacing the old team seamlessly. However,
after a decade the new team was on the verge of leaving and baseball, and the
city of Washington did not have any quick expansion options. Part of the
problem preventing success in Washington was the Baltimore Orioles who cut
their fan base in half, and was one of baseballs best teams. The Senators
meanwhile, who were struggling at the gate, received an offer from
Dallas-Fort Worth to move to Texas in 1972.  Dallas-Fort Worth had been
trying to lure a Major League team for years.   With the Senators struggling
in Washington owner Robert E. Short began looking for other options. When
Dallas offered a reported multi-million dollar up-front payment for TV and
radio broadcast rights Short asked AL owners permission to make the move.
With Baltimore already entrenched in the area, owners would have no problem
with the move, and 10 days before the end of the season it was approved.



1971: With the move to Texas approved, the 71-year tradition of American
League baseball in the nation's capital was coming to an end. Despite the
team's tradition of poor performance, many fans stuck with them. It was once
said "Washington first in war, first in peace, last in the American League."
Washington fans did enjoy one championship in 1924, and a whole generation
grew up watching Walter Johnson who many consider the greatest pitcher ever.
However, most fans had to suffer through many 90-loss last place seasons with
players that would never get past the minors in other organizations.

Washington Senators baseball was also a popular stop for the lawmakers of the
country. In the team's 71-year history, 11 Presidents of the United States,
three Vice Presidents, one Speaker of the House of Representatives, one
Canadian Prime Minister, and one "first son-in-law" all helped open major
league seasons by throwing out the first ball for Washington baseball.

The September 30th game against the New York Yankees would be the final game
in Washington baseball for some time. In the final game, RFK Stadium was
filled with angry jilted fans that continually interrupted play by throwing
things onto the field. This would continue throughout the game, and into the
9th inning where the Senators were leading. The fans would then take a turn
for the worse by streaming on to the field, and started a riot with two outs
in the 9th. Order was unable to be restored and the game was forfeited,
bringing an ugly end to a wonderful 71 years.



1972-2004: In an attempt to lure baseball back to Washington, city officials
attempted to bring the National League's Padres from San Diego. In fact it
looked like the move was close to happening, but the Orioles ownership,
combined with NL owners, was able to block the move, as McDonalds founder
Raymond A. Krok was brought in to buy the team and keep them in San Diego.
Since then, D.C. and its suburbs tried repeatedly to lure a team back to the
Nation's Capital, without success. That is, until MLB decided to move the
Montreal Expos to Washington.



1977: The Expos get a brand new home moving to the stadium that was used as
the centerpiece for the 1976 Summer Olympics. The new stadium - called
Olympic Stadium - was significantly larger than Jarry Park, but not as cozy.
On April 15th the Expos play their first game at "The Big O" in front of a
record crowd of 57,592, against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Expos would
lose that game 7-2.



1980: After a successful season Olympic Stadium becomes the place to be in
Canada, as popular in game activities includes soccer-like sing-song chanting
throughout the game as fan favorites Gary Carter and Andre Dawson become
Canadian Baseball Legends.



1981: On June 15th when the season was halted by a players strike. The strike
would last for two months, and when the players returned it was Expos Catcher
Gary Carter who started baseball's 2nd Half with a bang by smacking 2 homers
in the All-Star Game played at Cleveland. In the Eastern Division Series the
Expos would beat out the first half Champion Philadelphia Phillies in five
games to advance to the first ever International LCS against the Dodgers,
which they lost in five games.



1982: On July 13th Olympic Stadium hosts the first All-Star game located
outside the United States.



1984: Pete Rose signs to play for the Expos and collects his 4,000th career
hit on April 13th at Olympic Stadium. However, Rose would not finish the
season in Montreal, being dealt away to his first team the Cincinnati Reds in
August where he assumed the role as player-manager. Following the season a
move is made that would stun the fans of Montreal. Catcher Gary Carter is
traded to the New York Mets for four players in a move that would foreshadow
future Expos stars leaving the team.


1987: Ten years after opening Olympic Stadium the Expos season began the
season with a new feature, a roof.  The roof, which was made to be
retractable, would be a source of many problems for the franchise. The roof
repeatedly broke, and would eventually lead to the Expos making it a
permanent fixture. This would hurt attendance, as Montreal residents did not
like going indoors to watch a baseball game on warm summer nights, and led to
a steady decline in attendance.



1989: Convinced that the team is a true contender who needs a veteran starter
the Expos deal their top pitching prospect Randy Johnson to the Seattle
Mariners for ace lefty Mark Langston. The trade works for a while and the
Expos actually are in first as late as August but a final month collapse see
the Expos fall to 4th Place with a disappointing 81-81 record. Following the
season Langston ends up signing a lucrative deal with California Angels
leaving the Expos nothing to show for trading Randy Johnson, who would become
one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball history over the next decade
and a half.



1991: In a year of transition new stars like Marquis Grissom, and Larry
Walker take over.



1992: After a slow start Manager Tom Runnels is fired, and replaced by
longtime Expos coach, and instructor Felipe Alou. The move would prove
successful immediately as the Expos made a run for the Eastern Division
Title, before finishing nine games out with a solid 87-75 record. The season
also saw the return of legendary Catcher Gary Carter, who returned to play
his final season in the place where his career began.



1994: On June 29th the Expos complete a sweep of the Atlanta Braves to take
over the top spot in the NL East, as the Expos set a record for attendance
during a mid-week series. Over the next six weeks the Expos would establish
the best record in baseball while pulling 6 games ahead of the Braves. By
August 12th the Expos sat in first place with a 74-40 record, playoff bound,
and well on a pace to win 100 games. However, the magical season would end
right there as the players went on strike. The strike would end up wiping out
the rest of the season, including the playoffs, and World Series. Many would
go on to speculate if the season was allowed to finish the Expos would have
made, if not won, the World Series.



1995: When the players returned after an April 1st injunction, the Expos were
a shell of the team that sat atop baseball in 1994. Gone were Larry Walker,
Marquis Grissom, and John Wetteland, which along with disillusionment of the
fans of Montreal led to dramatic fall of in attendance. The fans in Montreal
had their hearts ripped out by the strike, and further hurt by the deals
trading away their stars. The lone highlight of the season comes on June 3rd
when ace pitcher Pedro Martinez pitches nine innings of perfect baseball at
San Diego. The No-hitter was lost in extra innings, but it was a show of what
was to come from the often excellent Expos farm system.



1997: Pedro Martinez has a dominant season posting a 1.90 ERA and winning the
first Cy Young in Expos history. The joy is short lived for Expos fans as
Pedro is dealt away following the season, another casualty to the Expos
financial woes.



1998: With the loss of Pedro Martinez, the Expos fans felt further
disillusioned, and disheartened, as began talks of the team leaving Montreal.



1999: The Expos would finish in 4th Place with a 64-98 record as young OF
Vladimir Guerrero becomes the first Expos' player to hit 40 home runs in a
season, finishing the season with a total of 42 home runs.



2000: With new ownership in place there was optimism surrounding the club's
future, as the signed Free Agent Greame Lloyd, and traded for high priced
pitcher Hidecki Irabu. However, despite their optimism new owner Jeffrey
Loria pulled the Expos off TV and English speaking radio further distancing
the team from its disheartened fans. Meanwhile the two off-season pickups end
up becoming huge busts with both missing most of the season with injuries.



2001: The optimism surrounding new owner Jeffrey Loria is gone as he lets the
lease on land for a proposed downtown ballpark to expire. In the middle of
the season Expos fans were further driven away when popular manager Felipe
Alou was fired and replaced by Jeff Torborg, a close friend of Loria, as the
Expos would go on to finish in last place.



2001-2002: Following the season, talks began that baseball would contract two
teams. The Montreal Expos were the obvious candidate to be on of the two
teams folded by Major League Baseball. While the disheartened fans of
Montreal did not put up much of a fight, politicians and fans in Minnesota
fiercely fought contraction of the original Nats, now the Twins. In the
meantime talk began anew that the Expos could move to Washington DC if
contraction was no longer viable.   However, since Expos owner Jeffrey Loria
had already started negotiations to buy the Florida Marlins, this would leave
the Expos without an owner. Loria would go on to buy the Marlins taking the
entire Expos front office and management with him. To keep the Expos up and
running the league agreed to buy the team, (with baseball's other 29 owners
footing the bill) and run it for what will likely be the team's final season
of baseball in Montreal, whether it was to be contracted or relocated.



2002: With talk of contraction and relocation surrounding the Expos, many
thought the Expos would have a poor season. However, under new Manager Frank
Robinson most the Expos played solid baseball most of the first half as Major
League Baseball allowed them to acquire Bartolo Colon from the Cleveland
Indians as the Expos appeared set to make a serious run for the Wild Card.
Following the All-Star break the Expos would take on anther star as they
reacquired Cliff Floyd from the Florida Marlins. However the Expos would
struggle and quickly fall out of the race as Floyd was dealt to the Boston
Red Sox. The Expos would remain in Montreal at least one more season, while
new ownership was still being sought.



2003: In an attempt to bring the struggling Expos more revenue Major League
Baseball schedules the Expos to play 22 home games in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Despite continued doubts about their future the Expos remained competitive on
the field, as they challenged for the wild card all season while posting an
impressive 39-20 record at Olympic Stadium. However, they struggled on the
road, posting a terrible 31-50 record.   Following the season the Expos
continued to remain in Montreal and in limbo, as they were forced to watch 2
more all-stars leave.   Javier Vazquez went to the New York Yankees and
Vladimir Guerrero went to the Angels via Free Agency.



2004: The Expos had a rough season at the plate -- they were shut out a Major
League-leading 16 times -- en route to their first last-place finish since
2001.

On the bright side: The Expos have an ace in Livan Hernandez, who was better
than his 11-15 record indicates. He led the league in complete games and
innings pitched, but the bullpen had a tough time saving his games, and he
didn't get a lot of run support.

Outfielder Terrmel Sledge got off to a 5-for-41 start, but he rebounded
nicely and hit .269 with 15 home runs and 62 RBIs, even though he didn't play
regularly until the second half of the season.   Robinson loves the way
Sledge deals with adversity. For example, if Sledge makes an error, he
usually redeems himself by driving in a big run. Robinson believes Sledge
could be an everyday player as early as 2005.

The Expos move to DC was announced in November 2004 and was almost killed by
the DC city council in December 2004.   Season ticket sales started late
December 2004 and the first game of the Nats spring training is March 2, 2005.