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Washington Nationals Baseball

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JulieHolm
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Editor Pick

Nats Game!

  • September 6, 2025
  • Rated 3 of 5 by stvchin from Tustin, California

I’m a big baseball fan, and one of my recreational goals is to attend a baseball game at all the Major League Ballparks. Since we’re visiting our nation’s Capital, we had a chance to visit a newer team with a newer ballpark in the Washington Nationals. Nationals Park is just on South Capitol Street and Potomac.

We arrived via the Navy Yard Metro station. The signs from the Metro station, as well as the other fans wearing Washington National’s attire made it easy to figure out where to go from there. The exit from the Metro station leads you onto Half Street SE, about a hundred yards away from and dead ends into the outfield gates of Nationals Park. Walking to the park, you pass lots on both sides of Half Street with halted residential construction, victims of the housing downturn.

One thing is enjoy about baseball is approaching the ballpark. I enjoy the grandeur of walking towards a big, hulking, yet grand stadium and seeing all the fans. As we approached the outfield gates, I didn’t get that feeling. I realized that it’s because the ballpark really isn’t that tall. We could see from the outfield gates, that although the entrance is on ground level, it’s actually the pavilion above the field level seats. The field is set into the ground, so the upper tiers aren’t that high.

We walked around the outside of the ballpark on 1st Street SE to check out the neighborhood. The exterior of Nationals Park doesn’t follow the mold of the newer ballparks. Instead of brick and green painted steel beams, Nationals Park is mainly light grey concrete, glass and shiny steel. There are two parking structures by the outfield areas. Most of the area around Nationals Park is either empty dirt lots, or industrial buildings, both with businesses in them and apparently abandoned buildings. There were banners hanging from the fences on some of the neighboring empty lots indicating shops, restaurants, and other entertainment venues coming shortly. As we rounded onto Potomac Ave. SE, we came across the home plate gate of Nationals Park. It was almost deserted, as most people used the closer outfield gates.

We purchased tickets on the middle level, called the right field mezzanine, section 225 row A, for $30 a piece. As we entered the ballpark, we remarked about how nice it looks, as it’s very clean and new. However, being so clean and new, it does have a sterile feel to it. Nationals Park’s first game was on opening day on April 2008. The upper left field seats offer a fairly nice view northwards to the US Capitol building. In chatting with the ushers, they said that Nationals Park is one of the "Greenest" parks, built with energy efficient lighting, drought resistant plants, recycled construction materials, as well as other green methods.

There are plenty of restaurants and concession stands all around at all levels, with a plethora of food offerings. In the outfield concourse is the Red Porch restaurant, which features s second story porch dining area and serves standard pub fare such as wings, nachos, and draft beers. There are stands for different coffee drinks, both hot and iced, gelatos, Italian ices, ice cream, sodas, a few bars offering draft beers, pizza, sandwiches, hot dogs, and other specialties. We decided to try our Teddy’s Barbeque, which has it’s stand on the main concourse level. The BBQ was being smoked in a big wood fired portable smoker. I decided to try a Rough Rider, named after then Colonel Theodore Roosevelt’s Calvary Division during the Spanish American War. Teddy’s Barbeque’s Rough Rider is a foot long BBQ short rib with a price of $10. It’s messy, but the meat is surprisingly tender with a sweet taste to it. I really liked it, although it’s not something I’d want to eat on my lap again.

There is a sixth inning Presidents race, reminiscent of Milwaukee’s sausage race, but with Teddy Roosevelt, Abe Lincoln, George Washington, and Tom Jefferson. The gimmick is that this year, Teddy Roosevelt has never won a race, so there are occasionally teasers with Teddy Roosevelt almost winning. This time, George, who was in the lead, pretended to pull out with a cramp, as Teddy ran towards the finish line, Abe Lincoln sped past him at the last second to win. Maybe next time Teddy.

The attendance for a Sunday day game was about a third of ballpark capacity. I think the hot and humid August weather was partly to blame for the low attendance. Another factor is that Washington DC hasn’t embraced baseball yet. The Nationals moved from Montreal to Washington DC in 2005, but prior to that, there hasn’t been baseball in DC for about 30 years. While nearby Baltimore has the Orioles, DC has turned to other sports, notably the Washington Redskins football team and DC United soccer. I think once the Nationals start winning, there will be more fans.

The atmosphere, while not bad, was not as fun and full of energy as I had hoped. When other fans are into the game, cheering, and chanting, then the game becomes more fun as more and more of the crowd is involved. I think that in a few years, the Nationals’ effort to rebuild into a winning team will pay off and attendance and fan participation will increase.

From journal Our Nation's Capital

Editor Pick

Washington Nationals Baseball

  • June 6, 2025
  • Rated 5 of 5 by JulieHolm from Vienna, Virginia

What is more American than a baseball game? And now that Washington has their own major-league baseball team, RFK Stadium is an exciting place to be!

Baseball in Washington is affordable. The cheap seats run $7 or $5 at the park on some Wednesdays. The nationals are playing great; indeed, as I write this, they're first in the National League. For $15 or $25, you can get great seats in the infield.

Getting there is easy with the Metro. RFK is at the Stadium/Armory exit off the Orange and Blue Lines. Once you come out of the ground, you just walk past the armory to the stadium.

They let you bring in food to the stadium, but not drinks. (Water may be an exception.) The Foggy Bottom, on the lower level, beer is good if you're a beer drinker, but a variety of other brands on tap (from Bud Light to Guinness) are available around the stadium, as are various sodas and typical stadium food. Note that if you are on a budget, hotdogs can be purchased from the guys out front.

You can get tickets at the box office or from Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster charges a $4 per person fee to produce tickets. Weeknights you can usually get tix at the park that day; otherwise, you may want to get them ahead of time.

I'm going again next week. See you there?

From journal Wonderful Washington DC

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