Welcome to the latest edition of the Nationals Beat newsletter. This is your stop for the latest on and off the field, from news to exclusive player interviews and insights, brought to you by MLB.com club reporter Jessica Camerato. This edition of the newsletter was written by MLB.com reporter Paige Leckie. |
BALTIMORE -- It’s the inaugural Rivalry Weekend in Major League Baseball, in which current (and former, in the case of the Braves and Red Sox) geographical rivals are facing off for bragging rights -- and in some cases, the season series is on the line. So how better to celebrate than with the second series of this year’s Battle of the Beltways! In honor of the weekend, here’s a smattering of some of the Nats’ favorite rivalries -- in baseball and beyond. Kyle Finnegan: “Obviously, playing here, this one has always been fun -- the Beltway Battle. And I guess, growing up -- I grew up in a Yankees household, so, Red Sox-Yankees obviously was huge. I remember my dad always getting super pumped up to watch those games, and we’d all watch them together, me and my brothers. “There’s a lot, you’ve got Lakers-Celtics; the Steelers-Ravens games for me I love to watch -- that whole division is like tons of good rivalries, especially the winter time when those teams play each other in the snow and stuff, it’s always awesome like low-scoring, just dirty games.” |
Dylan Crews: “Historically, I think Yankees and Red Sox is always a good one. I mean, they have the Subway Series [Mets vs. Yankees] now coming up, so that’d be fun to watch. I think for me, LSU is always fun to play with Tennessee, that’s always a fun matchup. … “The crowds get all like, rowdy and stuff. So crowds get into it a lot more, it gets a little chirpy on both sides. It’s just, you get a little bit more adrenaline rush when you play your rival, so it’s always fun.” Andrew Chafin: “Growing up in Ohio -- I’ve never been a real sports fan, of any sports, but I’d say like, Ohio State-Michigan is the first thing that comes to mind. But outside of that, I don’t really care. “From a fan’s perspective, I could see how it could carry a little bit more weight and be a little bit more exciting from that perspective. But for me as a player, I don’t care who I’m playing against, I’m just trying to go out there and get my job done.” Nathaniel Lowe: “Red Sox-Yankees for sure. … But I did, the last couple years I did like seeing when San Francisco would pack out Oakland Coliseum, because I’ve never really gotten to play on the West Coast. And then, playing in Texas, going to the West Coast, that was interesting. And the Seattle-Toronto thing, that’s kind of growing into something, too. So I like that one.” |
Josh Bell: “Growing up a Mavs fan, I hated the Spurs. And they were so good, and they had such a good team. Like, Tim Duncan, [Gregg] Popovich coaching his [butt] off. But they had their moments, and we had ours. But I remember like, every time I saw a Spurs uniform or jersey or whatever, I’d hate it. Like, whoever’s wearing that, ‘I hate that guy.’ So yeah, it’s funny to look back on that. … “It’s hysterical, the fandom experience where people care so much. I was that kid. Things have changed for me now, but who knows when I get back home and get to a Mavs game, if we’re playing the Spurs, I’m probably still going to hate them.”
Manager Dave Martinez: “I remember, you know, I played for both sides as you know, with the Cubs and the White Sox. That used to be a big, big deal. I think, to me, baseball is baseball. Every team we play is a rival, really.”
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MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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BEST OF THE BELTWAY BATTLES |
With this weekend marking the final installment of this year’s Battle of the Beltways, let’s look at some of the Nationals’ all-time leaders (since 2005) vs. the Orioles. Offense Games: Ryan Zimmerman, 57 Hits: Ryan Zimmerman, 63 Runs: Ryan Zimmerman, 35 Doubles: Anthony Rendon/Ryan Zimmerman, 12 Triples: Roger Bernadina, 2 Home Runs: Ryan Zimmerman, 11 RBI: Ryan Zimmerman, 29 Stolen Bases: Ian Desmond/Trea Turner, 7 Pitching
Games: Tyler Clippard, 13 Games Started: Max Scherzer, 8 Wins: Max Scherzer, 4 Saves: Chad Cordero/Sean Doolittle, 4 Innings Pitched: Max Scherzer, 57.2 Strikeouts: Max Scherzer, 79 Outside of just Nationals history, there have been 111 players to suit up for both franchises, 42 of whom did so since the Nats began play in Washington, D.C. This includes current righty reliever Jorge López, who played for the Orioles from 2020-22, then again at the tail end of ‘23. |
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In his start on Friday, his shortest start of the year, MacKenzie Gore made some history.
Gore became the first pitcher in the Modern Era (since 1901) to strike out nine over 3 2/3 innings while giving up just two runs on 10 hits.
And Gore’s fourth strikeout of the night, a swinging K vs. Jorge Mateo in the second inning, moved Gore past John Lannan (410) for the ninth-most strikeouts in Nationals history (2005-present), with Gore concluding the game with 416 K’s in his Washington career. |
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May 20: Pups in the Park; AAPI Heritage Day; $5 Tuesdays May 21: Golf Day May 22: Branch Appreciation Day – National Guard; University of North Carolina Day May 24: NATS20 Mystery Moments bobblehead giveaway (first 20,000 fans in attendance) |
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