The Washington Nationals are headed into Game 162 against the New York Mets with a chance to clinch a 77 win season for the first time in the decade of the 2020s. Additionally, they will have a chance to win one last series as part of a 2026 season that has been an incredible one for the organization and has seen them take massive steps froward on several fronts.
That includes their minor leaguers, where their Triple-A team won the International League Championship for the first time this century while being led by top prospects like Seaver King. The team as a whole is vastly improved, and there is a ton to look forward to heading into 2027 despite Saturday night's embarrassing loss. With that being said, the Nationals still want to finish the year with a victory and doing it by clinching a series against a division rival would be sweet.
Nationals' Game 162 vs Mets moved up from previous start time
As the headline states, the Nationals have officially announced that the start time for Sunday night's series finale against the Mets to an earlier slot in order to avoid some incoming inclement weather to the Washington, DC area. With the Nationals looking to clinch a final victory to get to 77 wins on the year, getting an earlier start to the game might be a bit of a help in order to avoid the rain.
Initially, the game was set to begin at 3:05 PM EST, but will now begin at 1:05 PM EST from Nationals Park. After Friday night's thrilling victory, the Nationals came back down to earth a bit on Saturday afternoon as they were trampled by the Mets with a 7-1 loss.
due to forecasted inclement weather, tomorrow's game time has been moved up to 1:05 p.m.
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 26, 2026
more information: https://t.co/gCCIe3IKat pic.twitter.com/b5AO6r2VQX
Connelly Early, making his first start since being acquired before the trade deadline from the Boston Red Sox, was impressive in his outing, as he finished 3.0 shutout innings while allowing just one hit and no walks while striking out a batter. The Nationals were always going to have him on a pretty strict pitch count, but it was fantastic to see him get through the outing relatively unscathed. Truthfully, I don't think Early could have drawn it up much better than that.
Heading into Sunday, the Nationals have already clinched 4th place in the NL East, while the Mets are going to finish in last place. The Nationals can help add insult to injury by winning the final game of this series, sending them into the offseason on a high note, albeit at an earlier time than originally anticipated.
What are your hopes for the Washington Nationals as they wrap up their season on Sunday afternoon? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.
Add us as a preferred source on Google