Tag: Washington Nationals

Nationals to hold a World Series ring unveiling party (virtually)

Not quite the party they wanted, but the Nationals won’t let quarantine stop them from showing off the new World Series rings.

The Nationals aren’t going to let a global pandemic get in the way of showing off some bling.

The team is hosting a virtual World Series ring unveiling event this Sunday at 7 p.m. and streaming it live on its website and social media channels.

They promise that several players will be in attendance, as well as team leaders. If other World Series rings are any indication, the things are going to be gaudy. 

The Nationals won the World Series 4-3 over the Houston Astros in a wild series that saw every away team win every game.

The event takes place despite ongoing negotiations between MLB and its players about a return to the sport amidst a global coronavirus pandemic, negotiations that are reportedly getting nasty.

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The Nationals roasted the Astros on Zoom while rewatching Game 7 of the World Series

Trash-can banging and everything.

Instead of being a few weeks into the Major League Baseball season, the Washington Nationals are hanging out at home and self-quarantining during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak.

So Tuesday night, they watched the re-airing of their Game 7 World Series victory over the Houston Astros and clearly had a great time doing it.

Everyone ranging from general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez to star pitcher Max Scherzer to slugger Juan Soto to postseason icon Gerardo Parra (who’s in Japan right now) dialed in at one point to the Zoom video call, which was hosted by first baseman Ryan Zimmerman and MASN reporter Dan Kolko. The call was to raise money for the Pros for Heroes Covid-19 Relief Fund, which Zimmerman and his wife, Heather, set up to aid healthcare workers during the pandemic.

And the Nationals took some swings at the Astros for their sign-stealing scandal, which came to light this winter during the offseason. (Plenty of fans got in on it too during spring training.)

While watching the game, class clown Brian Dozier, who’s now with the San Diego Padres organization, grabbed a trash can and began banging on it while Soto was at the plate against Houston’s Roberto Osuna in the eighth inning.

While banging on the trash can with what appears to be a wooden spoon, Dozier said:

“Juan, I got you. I got you. Fastball! Fastball!”

On that at-bat, Soto got an RBI single to help give the Nationals a 4-2 lead on their way to the 6-2 series win.

Zimmerman, like fans in real time back in October, was also baffled by then-Astros pitcher Gerrit Cole warming up but not playing in Game 7, and he took a few shots at the now-yankees pitcher. And, As NBC Sports Washington noted, after Washington won the game and were receiving the Commissioner’s Trophy, reliever Sean Doolittle also took a shot at Rob Manfred and said:

“Look at that piece of metal!”

At one point during the call, Dozier was also dressed up as The Freeze, the Atlanta Braves’ sprinter who races fans down the warning track at games.

If you missed the Nationals’ Zoom call, you can still rewatch it on Facebook. Others who joined in at one point include Stephen Strasburg, Sean Doolittle, Anthony Rendon and Trea Turner. The call raised more than $200,000, according to Kolko.

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Trump hosts Washington Nationals players for a round of golf

Pitcher Patrick Corbin and first baseman Ryan Zimmerman were among those who visited President Trump in West Palm Beach.

The Washington Nationals and President Donald Trump share more than just an address in the nation’s capital.

They both have a second home in West Palm Beach, Florida.

For the Nationals, it’s where they have their spring training complex. It’s also where the Trump International Golf Club is located.

On Sunday, several Nationals players joined the president for a round of golf. According to a series of photos shared on Instagram by pitcher Patrick Corbin, the group also included first baseman Ryan Zimmerman, shortstop Trea Turner, reliever Daniel Hudson and catcher Kurt Suzuki, who donned a Make America Great hat when Trump hosted the World Series champions at a White House ceremony last November.

Also in attendance on Sunday: former Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth, who attended Trump’s 2018 State of the Union address.

The Houston Astros stole signs from heckling fans at their spring training opener

It’s going to be a long season.

The Houston Astros are still stealing signs. Just this time, those signs belong to the fans.

The Astros took the field on Saturday for their first game since baseball’s offseason was rocked by a cheating scandal concerning Houston’s past three seasons — including the 2017 World Series season.

Though the Astros were technically the home team in this spring training opener against the Nationals, the two clubs share the facility in West Palm Beach, Fla.

This brought plenty of heckling Nationals fans to the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.

When the Astros were first announced — especially for Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa — the team was met with loud boos from the stands.

Other fans brought signs to heckle the Astros, and video hit Twitter showing a ballpark staffer confiscating a sign that read, “Houston *’S.”

The Associated Press spoke to one of the fans who had their signs confiscated, and he said that he wasn’t aware that the Astros were barring signs at their spring training games. Via USA TODAY Sports:

Matthew Silliman, who held one of the signs, said he didn’t know they were forbidden. He drove to the game from Tampa Bay and said he’s been waiting to let the Astros know what he thinks of them.

“I’m a big Nats fan and it’s wrong,” he said. “They’re cheaters.”

The game was eventually canceled due to weather.

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Former Astro Will Harris in tough situation with Nationals

What I’m Hearing: USA TODAY Sports’ Bob Nightengale says former Astro Will Harris is having a hard time fitting in with his new Nationals teammates who have openly called the Houston cheating scandal “disgusting”.

What I’m Hearing: USA TODAY Sports’ Bob Nightengale says former Astro Will Harris is having a hard time fitting in with his new Nationals teammates who have openly called the Houston cheating scandal “disgusting”.

How many games will the Washington Nationals win in 2020?

Analyzing the Washington Nationals’ projected win total for the 2020 MLB season, along with their odds to win the NL East and World Series.

The Washington Nationals prepare to defend their 2019 World Series title in 2020. Today, we focus on the Nationals’ 2020 regular-season win total and World Series odds. Do the Nationals have what it takes to repeat this season? Let’s analyze:

Washington Nationals 2019 wins

The Nationals finished second in the National League East behind the Atlanta Braves last season. They went 93-69 in the regular season and made the playoffs as a wild-card team. Their miraculous postseason run then started with a 4-3 home win over the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Wild Card Game. The Nats went 50-31 at home and 43-38 on the road and finished the regular season with a plus-149 run differential for the second-best split in the NL.

Washington Nationals offseason

The Nationals chose SP Stephen Strasburg over 3B Anthony Rendon in free agency, allowing the latter to sign with the Los Angeles Angels while Stras re-upped on a seven-year, $245 million contract. 1B Eric Thames was brought in as a free-agent addition. Asdrubal Cabrera is expected to start the season as the everyday third baseman in place of Rendon. Starlin Castro is expected to split time with veteran Howie Kendrick at second base.

Baseball season is right around the corner! Get some action on this season with an MLB futures bet at BetMGM. Bet now!

Washington Nationals odds to win NL East division

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 2 p.m. ET.

The Nationals are the second favorite in the NL East at +250. They trail the defending division champion Braves (+190) and lead the Philadelphia Phillies (+310), New York Mets (+330) and Miami Marlins (+25000) in what’s expected to be one of baseball’s tightest divisions. They’re a fine pick to win the NL East with the Braves remaining fairly heavy favorites following the disappointing end to their 2019 season.

Washington Nationals World Series odds

The Nats share the fifth-best odds to win the 2020 World Series at +1400.

They once again trail the Braves (+1100), and the New York Yankees (+350), Los Angeles Dodgers (+400) and Houston Astros (+550). They share odds with the Minnesota Twins and St. Louis Cardinals and are just ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays (+1900).

The Nationals retain one of baseball’s best starting rotations. The offense takes a hit with Rendon leaving town, but Thames offers power and the ability to get on base. Youngsters Trea Turner, Juan Soto and Victor Robles should continue to improve. Washington is a good value as the defending champion.

How many games will the Nationals win in 2020?

The Nationals’ win total is set at 89.5. It represents a drop in 3.5 victories from 2019’s 93 wins. Washington has topped this 2020 projection in three of the last four years, but the UNDER 89.5 (+100) is the side to back with stronger seasons expected for the Phillies and Mets.

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Redskins’ path to becoming NFL contender starts with being honest with fanbase

Mike Rizzo built the Washington Nationals into a Championship-winning team, and he lays out the blueprint for the Redskins to do the same.

If you’re a fan of Washington sports, it’s likely you know the names Mike Rizzo, and Dan Snyder. Rizzo was one of the top general managers in Major League Baseball in 2019, leading the Washington Nationals to their first World Series Championship.

Snyder…well we all know how Snyder’s last year has gone.

Rizzo reached the pinnacle of success this past season by sticking to his values and committing to his roster. Now, with the 2020 MLB season set to get underway in the coming months, the Nationals will be looked at as one of the premier teams in the sport, with a good shot to make another title run. In a perfect world, the Redskins would be on a similar path to success, and Rizzo thinks that success can be realized.

Ahead of Super Bowl LIV, Rizzo sat down with the Redskins Talk podcast to talk about what Snyder can do to better improve his team, not from a roster standpoint, but from the ownership and executive level. His advice started with being transparent and honest with the fanbase.

“It’s very difficult. It’s more difficult towards the fan base,” Rizzo explained, via NBC Sports Washington. “With them, we were honest and upfront and kind of mapped out what our blueprint was for how we were going to develop this thing. From that day on we had a blueprint and a plan of how to do this. When I took over as GM in 2009, we started implementing the plan.”

You could argue that the Redskins have started this process. As 2019 came to a close, it seemed that Snyder finally started to realize that a bright future couldn’t be realized in Washington while Bruce Allen was still in the building. Snyder’s firing of Allen, along with Head Trainer Larry Ness, signified that he is aware that change is needed in order for the team to move forward. His hiring of Ron Rivera — a two-time Coach of the Year — further strengthened the belief that it’s a new day in Washington.

“Sometimes you have hiccups and take steps sideways or even take steps backward,” he said. “Ownership better be on board, you better have their support, they better have the blueprint in front of them and believe in the dream. And you better have the personnel in the front office and the decision-makers to make sometimes scary decisions. You can’t be afraid to make big decisions and bold decisions to accomplish big things.”

If it happened with the Nationals, it can happen with the Redskins. It may not seem likely now, but in 5-years’ time, there is a scenario where the Redskins can join the ‘Title Town’ narrative that is starting to grow in Washington. It starts with keeping the fans involved and aware of what’s going on at the base level.

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Texas Alumni Game Takes Place February 1st

The Texas Alumni return to Austin to take on the Texas baseball team in the Texas Alumni baseball game on February 1st.

The Texas Longhorns baseball season gets under full swing on February 14th when the Longhorns head to Houston to take on the Rice Owls in a three-game series before returning to Disch-Falk Field to host UT-San Antonio for a one game set on Tuesday February 18th.

Before the defending Big 12 Champions start the season there is the Alumni game on Saturday February 1st at Disch-Falk Field. There will be plenty of alums to watch as they return to the field where their dreams of playing in the major leagues began.

Alumni expected to join in the festivities:

  • Tres Barrera, Washington Nationals catcher
  • Kacy Clemens, Toronto Blue Jay birst baseman
  • Kody Clemens, Detroit Tigers second baseman
  • Ty Culbreth, Colorado Rockies pitcher
  • Zane Gurwitz, Los Angeles Angels infielder
  • Blair Henley, Houston Astros pitcher
  • Travis Jones, Kansas City Royals infielder
  • Andy McGuire, Kansas City Royals pitcher/utility
  • Mark Payton, Oakland Athletics outfielder
  • Ryan Reynolds, Chicago Cubs infielder
  • Parker Joe Robinson, Los Angeles Angels pitcher
  • Chase Shugart, Boston Red Sox pitcher

The gates officially open at 10:00 am but first pitch doesn’t happen until 3:30 pm CST but there are other activities to enjoy as well. Visit Texas Sports for the entire list.

Tres Barrera Hopes of Earning Big League Opportunity

Former Longhorns catcher Tres Barrera is hoping to get his Major League Baseball opportunity with the Nationals in 2020.

Tres Barrera’s major league career has been a short one so far. After being drafted in the sixth round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Washington Nationals. The former Longhorns catcher was invited to the Nats’ major league camp in 2019 before being assigned to Double A Harrisburg Senators.

In the minors during the 2019 season, Barrera batted .249 with eight HRs and 46 RBIs. He was called up to the big leagues on September 8th. He went hitless in two at bats while appearing in two games. He was not a part of the postseason roster as the Nationals defeated the Houston Astros to win the World Series.

In 2020, Barrera will be looking to have more of a role with the Nationals. Following the World Series victory for Washington they declined the second-year option of catch Yan Gomes who was behind the plate for the final four games of the fall classic. That might have opened the door for Barrera, however Gomes was brought back on a new two-year deal.

The other catcher on the roster Kurt Suzuki will be in the final year of his contract. Suzuki will be 36 this season which marks his 14th in the league. Given that Gomes and Suzuki are in place for the Nat’s title defense run, it might be another year that Barrera will have to plug away in the minors in hopes of earning his shot in 2021.

 

Best sports social media moments of the year

Best sports social media moments of the year