The left-hander had just been acquired from the Oakland Athletics and Gio Gonzalez paid dividends immediately upon his arrival in DC.
The acquisition of Gio Gonzalez can be looked at as one of the turning points in franchise history.
Prior to his landing with the Washington Nationals, the team had more fifth place finishes than not. In the seven seasons since the franchise had moved from Montreal, the Nationals had been in the cellar of the National League East five times.
The team signed Jayson Werth prior to the 2011 season and was looking to bring in a frontline starting pitcher for the next campaign.
In a swap which sent A.J. Cole, Brad Peacock, Tommy Milone and Derek Norris to the A’s, Gonzalez and his 31 wins over the previous two years was headed to join the Nationals on the East Coast.
Joining a young Jordan Zimmerman and an even younger Stephen Strasburg, Gio would help form the first dominant pitching staff in team history.
Gonzalez would lead the team in every major pitching category including innings pitched, strikeouts, earned run average, complete games, and wins.
Towards the end of the year Gio would have three starts to accomplish a feat very few pitchers achieve. Twenty wins in a season.
He took the loss against Atlanta in his first try, then stymied the Milwaukee bats over seven innings on September 22nd, to nail down his 20th win. The first pitcher to do so wearing a Washington Nationals jersey. For good measure, he added win number 21 against the Philadelphia Phillies five days later.
Gio received a decision in all but three of his outings, leaving him with a record of 21-8 and team best 2.89 ERA. He was an All-Star and finished third in the Cy Young balloting.
Not only did the Nationals have their first twenty game winner, they also had their first division title. Unfortunately, Gonzalez struggled to find the strike zone with consistency in the National League Division Series, and the St. Louis Cardinals dispatched the Nats in five games.
Gio Gonzalez would win 86 games over the course of seven seasons in Washington, and even though he was a part of four playoff teams, he didn’t earn a win in six postseason starts.
A late season trade in 2018 sent Gonzalez to the Milwaukee Brewers, ending his tenure with the Nationals.
Gonzalez was an important piece of the pitching staff during his time in Washington and is currently pitching for the Chicago White Sox.