Washington Nationals Rapid Reaction: Nats Still Have Concerns Despite Walk-Off Win
Mandatory Credit: H. Darr Beiser-USA TODAY Sports
Attendance Is Starting To Fall
The possibility that the Nationals may not make the playoffs may be seeping into the consciousness of the fair weather Nationals fans.
Thursday night was a nesting doll giveaway for the fans at the park, with the added incentive of 100 lucky fans who found a golden ticket in the box with their dolls receiving a special edition giveaway of ten nesting dolls. That fan perk and the chance to see the Nationals beat the Braves wasn’t enough to get the fans to the park. Attendance for Thursday night’s game was only 28,627, even though the first 25,000 fans would get the nesting doll treat.
Last night’s attendance was worse. Only 23,536 fans were at the park to see the thriller with the Braves. This is the first time in a long time that Nats attendance in back-to-back games was below 30,000. I know it is the beginning of a holiday weekend, but the Nationals didn’t have these low attendance numbers over the Memorial Day or July 4th holiday weekends.
The last home game before the Nationals went out of town to play the St. Louis Cardinals the attendance was pretty normal–34,488. It’s possible that some fans decided that dropping two out of three to the Cardinals and losing ground against the Mets was enough to make them lose hope that the Nats were going to win the division and make the playoffs. But, if the team can continue to build on their three game winning streak, the fans should be back in the park when the team begins a three game series against New York on Monday.
Next: Taylor's Walk-Off Home Run Gives Nats Win Over Braves In Ten Innings