The Washington Nationals' tumultuous 2025 season will finally draw to a close this afternoon, and for many of us fans who have endured the hardships of this season, it's a huge relief. It should be an emotional afternoon, as the Nationals have a chance to send longtime legendary announcer Bob Carpenter into the sunset on a high note, but now another layer has been added to the game.
You wouldn't think that a game between two of the worst teams in baseball this year between the Nationals and the Chicago White Sox would involve having too much to play for, but a pregame announcement has made this game a must-watch for Nationals fans.
If the prospect of catching Carpenter's last game wasn't enough motivation, consider the fact that a former member of the 2019 Nationals' World Series team, Michael A. Taylor, is going to be retiring after today's game. He is a member of the White Sox currently, and he will now have a poetic ending to his career by being able to play his final game in front of the fans who cheered for him for so many years in Washington.
Taylor was a beloved fan favorite outfielder who spent 11 years as a member of the Nationals organization, and his tenure with the club was a solid one. After being one of the team's top prospects and a 6th round draft selection back in 2009, Taylor debuted in 2014 for the big league club, and spent the first 7 seasons of his long career with the Nationals.
Of course, he was a member of the team's 2019 World Series club, and he notably homered in a Game 2 victory that gave the Nationals a 2-0 advantage over the Houston Astros. His career in DC included numerous clutch hits, and he was a notorious postseason performer for the Nationals throughout his career.
Perhaps his best series came in the 2017 National League Division Series against the Chicago Cubs, when he hit a Grand Slam off Cubs reliever Wade Davis in Game 4 to help send the Nationals to a decisive Game 5, where they would eventually fall to the reigning World Series Champions.
Taylor appeared in 1,216 career games, and enters his final game today with a .232/.287/.379 slash line, good for a .667 OPS to go along with 109 homers, 387 RBIs, 128 stolen bases, a World Series ring in 2019, and a Gold Glove award in 2021 with the Royals. I would not be surprised to see him get removed from the game early today to get him a standing ovation from the DC faithful, and it should only add to the emotions of today's game.
What is your favorite memory of Michael A. Taylor? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.