Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals are a professional Major League baseball team. They play in the Eastern Division of the National League and originally were located in Montreal, Canada.

On May 27, 1968 the National League awarded two expansion franchises for the 1969 season. The cities of Montreal and San Diego become the newest members of the senior circuit. Montreal business executive Charles Bronfman of the Seagram's distilling empire was the front man for the new team from Montreal.

On April. 8, 1969 the Expos played the first game in team history. They defeated the New York Mets at Shea Stadium 11 to 10. Left-handed reliever Dan McGinn hit the first home run in team history in the 3rd inning off of Tom Seaver.

On April, 1969 in Montreal, in front of 29,184 fans the Expos played their first home game, defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 8 to 7.

On July 13, 1982 Montreal was host to the first All-Star game ever played outside the United States. Expo players Steve Rogers, Gary Carter, Tim Raines and Andre Dawson were selected as starters for the NL, while Al Oliver was added to the team a reserve.

On July 28, 1991 July 28 Montreal hurler Dennis Martinez pitched the 15th perfect game in Major League history. He beats Mike Morgan and the Los Angeles Dodgers, 2-0, striking out five batters in front of 45,560 screaming fans.http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/was/history/timeline.jsp

In 2004 the Expos played their final season in Montreal, finishing in fifth place with a 67-95 record.

In 2005, the Expos relocated to Washington DC and were renamed the Washington Nationals.

After posting a 102 loss season in 2008, the Nationals received the first pick in the 2009 draft and selected pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg. They figured things couldn't get worse, but the did. In 2009 they once again finished last; losing 103 games. Once again they were rewarded with the first overall pick in the upcoming 2010 amateur draft.

Stephen Strasburg - Once in a Generation Phenom

The biggest headlines for the Washington Nationals in some time was the selection of Stephen Strasburg with the first pick overall in the 2009 MLB Draft. There has been much written about Strasburg and the fact that he possesses a 103 MPH fastball. He has been hailed as a once in a generation pitcher and phenom to behold.ESPN: Nats take RHP Strasburg at No. 1

Stephen pitched ball at San Diego State University, and was the 2009 recipient of both the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy.http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/components/team/player/bio_iframe.html?is_mug_shot=true&roster_cid=was&cid=was&player_id=544931 He posted 13 double-digit strikeout games and hurled scoreless ball 7 times in 15 starts. During his Junior year, Stephen posted 13 wins against only 1 loss with a 1.32 ERA and struck out an NCAA best 195 hitters in 109.0 innings; an average of 16 K's per 9.0 innings pitched. On May 8, in front of capacity crowd at Tony Gwynn Stadium, Strasburg struck out 17 while no-hitting Air Force.

While in college, Stephen recorded 23 strikeouts in one game, a MWC and SDSU record.

Strasburg is represented by agent Scott Boras who prior to his signing with the Washington Nationalhas let it be known publicly that he is interested in getting a $50 million contract for Strasburg. The current high water mark for a rookie contract coming out of the draft is prior pitching sensation Mark Prior who fizzled in the Major Leagues.

On August 16 at 11:58:43 p.m, seventy-seven seconds before the signing deadline for the 2009 draft, Strasburg signed a contract for $15.1 million, with a $7.5 million signing bonus, to be paid out in three annual installments.http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2009/08/strasburg-contract-numbers.html

While participating in the Arizona Fall League, he suffered freakish knee injury during the Phoenix Desert Dogs batting practice on November 19. One day later, a precautionary exam performed today by Dr. Lewis Yocum in Los Angeles revealed a patellar subluxation in the left knee. The injury's treatment included rest and physical therapy, but did not require surgery and Strasburg was 100 percent for 2010 Spring Training.

The Nationals fans are anxiously awaiting Stephen's first appearance in a Nationals uniform and looking forward to the 2010 season.