Last week, I posted photos from my business trip to Washington, D.C. with the intention of posting more. But as the remainder of my trip was largely in conference rooms, the bulk of my remaining photographs are from Nationals Park, so I’m going to focus this post there.
I took in the Washington Nationals’ game against the Miami Marlins on Friday, August 16th. This was my first visit to Nationals Park, having seen the Nats play in their previous home at RFK Stadium in 2005, and the Montreal Expos at Stade Olympique in 1999. This is the 12th current Major League ballpark I’ve been to, in addition to 6 former ballparks (see my updated rankings at the end of this post).
The ballpark is well-located within the city. I was able to ride to the game on a bikeshare bike and dock near the entrance, and the Navy Yard Metro station was a short walk away after the game. There’s not much to do in the immediate area of Nationals Park but with at least a dozen cranes in the sky, I expect that will be different in the near future. The design of the ballpark is pleasant if generic Retro-Classic with good sightlines of the field from every part of the ballpark I visited. There are also nice views of the Anacostia River from the ramps, and glimpses of the U.S. Capitol dome from the upper deck. Oddly, the stone wall design behind home plate that is so prominent when watching a game on tv is not repeated anywhere else in the stadium.
The atmosphere was good with the Nationals’ fans engaged in the game, and almost all of them wearing the Hawaiian shirts given out at the gate. I particularly enjoyed the “N-A-T-S, Nats! Nats! Nats!” cheer after each Nationals’ run scored. Talented organist Matthew Van Hoose played a number of Aretha Franklin tunes since the legendary soul singer had died a day earlier. The famous Presidents Race was fun, but brief. Most puzzling is that the Nationals have a bullpen cart (a gimmick from the 70s that should’ve stayed dead), but none of the Nationals’ relievers actually used it. So the cart would just circle the field as the relievers walked to the mound. Oh, and the Nats’ fans really, really hate their relief pitchers, like Boston-level nastiness.
It was a fun night, and I’ll be happy to go back to Nationals Park.
Current ballpark rankings.
- Wrigley Field
- Fenway Park
- AT&T Park
- Oriole Park at Camden Yards
- Petco Park
- Citi Field
- Nationals Park
- Miller Field
- Dodger Stadium
- Citizens Bank Park
- Guaranteed Rate Field
- Yankee Stadium III
Former ballpark rankings
- Tigers Stadium
- Shea Stadium
- Yankees Stadium II
- RFK Stadium
- Stade Olympique
- Veterans Stadium
Panorama of the Mountains 