Washington Nationals: September storylines to follow
By Ron Juckett
TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS
There is “Captain Obvious” with this one but it is true.
Trailing the Dodgers by ten games, and ahead of the Chicago Cubs by nine, the Nats are the presumed second seed in the National League. They will play the NL Central champions in the NL Divisional Series and probably host crucial Game 1 and Game 5.
As they hold a 15-game lead over the Miami Marlins, they start the last day of August with a magic number of 16. Considering Washington had at one point 13 players on the disabled list this month, the ease and breadth of their domination is amazing.
Yet, the Nats have to close the deal. First, they will clinch a Wild Card spot then, a few days later, will clinch the franchise’s first ever back-to-back divisional championships. In the 49 years the Nationals existed—counting their time in Montreal—the team never made consecutive trips to the playoffs.
The Expos came close between 1979 and 1981 in the NL East before 1981’s strike-forced split season put them in the playoffs. Everyone remembers 1994, but Montreal nearly beat out Philadelphia in 1993 to win the division.
Since the move, the Nats are on the verge of a fourth title in six years. Not a wild card, but a division championship. Forget what happened in those playoffs a moment, winning four outright postseason spots in six years is an accomplishment worthy of celebration.
The goals are deeper this time, but they at least got there.