Nationals’ Parade Draws Thousands as D.C. Celebrates Its Latest Champions

Howie Kendrick, the team’s second baseman, repeated a phrase borrowed from the team’s manager, David Martinez, earlier in the playoffs. “Bumpy roads do lead to beautiful places,” he said. “And this trophy right here is proof of that.”

For many fans who followed the Nationals through the World Series, the day provided the first opportunity to revel in victory at home. Over the seven-game series, no home team managed a win — a first in the history of Major League Baseball — forcing most local fans in both Houston and Washington to watch their teams’ successes on television. After the Nationals won the opening two games in Houston, many in the capital rushed to pick up tickets, some shelling out thousands of dollars, in the hopes of seeing their team clinch the title at Nationals Park, only to witness the Astros clinch the ensuing three games by dominant margins.

With the championship on the line in the seventh game on Wednesday, thousands of fans huddled under stormy skies for four hours at Nationals Park to watch a live stream of the final game. For many there, the parade on Saturday offered an upbeat coda — clear, sunny skies, and the novel sight of gratified players celebrating in their home city.

With the World Series title, the Nationals finally ended a maddeningly ill-fated stretchfor baseball lovers in Washington. The last local team to hold the title of World Series champion was the Washington Senators in 1924.

“I actually saw their very first game that they played at R.F.K. Stadium,” said Dan Mulholland of Frederick, Md. “They never exceeded their expectations, they didn’t always even meet their expectations, but this year, the exciting thing is they stuck together as a team and they exceeded every expectation.”

Source: The New York Times

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Washington Nationals • Howie Kendrick • Second baseman • Manager (baseball) • David Martínez (baseball) • Major League Baseball postseason • Washington Nationals • World Series • First baseman • Win–loss record (pitching) • Home (sports) • Win–loss record (pitching) • First baseman • Major League Baseball • Houston • Washington, D.C. • Houston • Nationals Park • Houston Astros • Nationals Park • Streaming media • Coda (music) • World Series • Baseball • World Series • History of the Washington Senators (1901–60) • 1933 Major League Baseball All-Star Game • Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium • Frederick, Maryland •