Nationals Parade 2019: Twitter Reaction, Photos, Videos and More
Nov 2, 2019
Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez, left, and general manager Mike Rizzo, right, pose with Sidney Walton, age 100, after showing him the World Series and NLCS trophies before a parade to celebrate the team's World Series baseball championship over the Houston Astros, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Three days after winning their first World Series title, the Washington Nationals had a proper celebration with their fans Saturday via a championship parade.
The route ran from 15th Street NW to Pennsylvania Avenue NW at 3rd Street NW, culminating with a rally.
D.C. has become America's sports hub in recent years after the Capitals won the 2017-18 Stanley Cup title, the Mystics won their first WNBA title last month and the Nationals added the Commissioner's Trophy to the city's increasingly full mantel.
This was also D.C.'s first title in Major League Baseball since 1924 when the Washington Senators beat the New York Giants. The 95-year gap means most fans have never seen a professional baseball title in their lifetime, but one World War II veteran in attendance Saturday is an exception:
.@Nationals skipper Davey Martinez jumped off his bus to share this cool moment with a WW2 vet who's celebrating his 100th birthday. pic.twitter.com/whFYKRysep
Reliever Sean Doolittle got nostalgic about sharing a float with catcher Kurt Suzuki, who played with the Oakland Athletics when the left-hander made his MLB debut seven years ago:
Zuk was behind the plate for my MLB debut in 2012...and now we’re sharing a float in the WORLD SERIES PARADE! 🤙🏻 pic.twitter.com/zOAAssYu6y
Aside from the Nationals players who took care of business on the field against the Houston Astros, no one had a better World Series than Jeff Adams. If you don't know the name, this moment from Game 5 should help out:
What a legend 🤣
This fan was double fisting with 2 beers and took Yordan's home run ball to the gut! pic.twitter.com/9Tfi8uiyhy
Not only did Adams parlay that into a sponsorship deal with Bud Light, which flew him to Games 6 and 7 in Houston, he also got a float in Saturday's parade:
The party isn't over for the Nationals in D.C. quite yet. Members of the organization will visit the White House on Monday to celebrate with President Donald Trump.
That will likely be the final major event for the Nationals in 2019 before they head into the offseason. They start next season on the road, so there will be a wait to raise the championship banner. Their first game at Nationals Park will be against the New York Mets on April 2.
Sean Doolittle Won't Join Nationals When They Visit Donald Trump, White House
Nov 1, 2019
Washington Nationals closer Sean Doolittle will not join the team when it visits President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, citing the president's rhetoric and policies.
“There’s a lot of things, policies that I disagree with, but at the end of the day, it has more to do with the divisive rhetoric and the enabling of conspiracy theories and widening the divide in this country. My wife and I stand for inclusion and acceptance, and we’ve done work with refugees, people that come from, you know, the ‘s--thole countries,'” Doolittle told Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post.
Doolittle was referencing Trump's offensive comments on immigrants from countries he found undesirable entering the United States. The Nationals are scheduled to visit Trump less than a week after winning their first World Series in franchise history.
Doolittle is the first player to say he would not attend the ceremony.
Trump and first lady Melania Trump were booed by Nationals fans when they attended Game 5 in Washington. Fans chanted "Lock Him Up!" at the president, a callback to his campaign rhetoric against Hillary Clinton. The Washington D.C. area tends to vote Democrat. Trump is a Republican who has been combative with the opposing party throughout his presidency.
“People say you should go because it’s about respecting the office of the president," Doolittle said. "And I think over the course of his time in office he’s done a lot of things that maybe don’t respect the office.”
Doolittle said he respects the decisions of teammates who choose to attend the ceremony. He added he hopes his teammates that do attend afford him the same respect.
Nationals to Visit President Donald Trump at White House on Monday
Nov 1, 2019
The Washington Nationals celebrate with the trophy after Game 7 of the baseball World Series against the Houston Astros Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019, in Houston. The Nationals won 6-2 to win the series. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
The Washington Nationals aren't wasting any time celebrating their 2019 World Series win at the White House with President Donald Trump.
Per an announcement from the White House, the Nationals will visit Trump on Monday:
There are certainly practical reasons for the Nationals organization to do their White House visit so soon after winning the World Series.
Everyone with the team will be in Washington, D.C., this weekend for thevictory paradeon Saturday, so having that many people stay in town for two more days makes sense rather than waiting until some point in 2020 to meet with the president.
Trump got a firsthand look at the Nationals during the World Series when heattendedGame 5 on Oct. 27 at Nationals Park. The Houston Astros won that game 7-1 to take a 3-2 series lead.
The Nationals won all four of their World Series road games, including a 6-2 victory in the clinching Game 7. It marked thefirstFall Classic ever in which the road team won every game.
Nationals Parade 2019: Predictions, Viewing Info for World Series Celebration
Oct 31, 2019
The Washington Nationals celebrate with the trophy after Game 7 of the baseball World Series against the Houston Astros Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019, in Houston. The Nationals won 6-2 to win the series. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Just call it Parade Capital, USA.
On Saturday, Washington, DC will throw its second championship parade in as many years as it celebrates its newest victorious team, the Washington Nationals, who on Wednesday stunned the Houston Astros in Game 7 to clinch the first World Series victory in franchise history. Plus, the parade to honor the WNBA champion Washington Mystics will be held in Spring 2020.
The parade will be held over the weekend to maximize the number of fans who can turn out and turn up.
Everything you need to know to tune in to the parade from afar or attend in person is below. And judging by the antics from fans during the Capitals' celebration last year, we'll also try to prepare you for situations you might encounter if you do indeed find yourself on the ground in the nation's capital.
Washington Nationals Championship Parade Details
Date: Saturday, November 2, 2019
Time: 2 p.m. ET
Location:Constitution Avenue and 15th Street NW
Route: East on Constitution Avenue NW to Pennsylvania Avenue and 3rd Street NW for team rally
TV: MLB Network (national) and local affiliates
Mayor Muriel Bowser encourages fans to leave their cars at home and take public transportation to and from the celebration on Saturday.
Last year, the Capitals' celebratory parade drew "hundreds of thousands" of spectators, according to Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press, so expect some tight quarters on Constitution Avenue.
If you don't want to miss a second of the team's partying until the parade, the players are expected to arrive back in D.C. from Houston tonight around 6:15 ET at Dulles International Airport, per WTOP, which will be on the scene to record the fans warmly welcoming their champions home.
It should provide a good opportunity to get your first peek at the World Series trophy, as well.
Fans got a taste of what they can expect on Saturday as they watched the team let go and savor the moment in Houston on Wednesday night, spraying champagne and pouring beer like it was going out of style.
No need to experience any FOMO, however, if Ryan Zimmerman is to be believed.
"I hope you're ready for us to come home," Zimmerman said, according to The Washington Post, "because it's going to be absolutely bananas."
Given the improbable nature of this team, which sat 12 games under .500 in late May, bringing home its first-ever World Series trophy this year, expect the crowds to be even more raucous than they were for their hockey team last June.
Fans who plan to attend Saturday's parade can opt in to text alerts about safety, transit and weather by texting "NATS" to 888-777.
If you're there in person, be sure to use the hashtag #FightFinished to document the festivities.
Nationals Parade 2019: TV Schedule, Start Time and Live Stream for Celebration
Oct 31, 2019
For the second time in as many years, the nation's capital will be hosting a championship parade.
A little more than a year after the NHL's Washington Capitals took to the streets, the Washington Nationals captured their first World Series in franchise history Thursday night with a 6-2 win over the Houston Astros. The victory concluded a World Series in which the road team won all seven games for the first time in history.
Washington rallied in the seventh inning, with Anthony Rendon hitting a solo home run and Howie Kendrick nailing a two-run shot and never looking back. The Nats added three more runs against a shellshocked Astros team that managed just two hits in the final four innings.
"I hope you're ready for us to come home, because it's going to be absolutely bananas," Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman said, per Scott Allen and Jacob Bogage of the Washington Post.
That bananas parade will take place Saturday in the nation's capital, drawing a major crowd for the city's first World Series victory since 1924.
Nationals Parade Info
Date: Saturday, Nov. 2
Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: MLB Network
Stream: TBD
"Real quick, I get to let everybody know," manager Davey Martinez said after the game. "Before we get started with anything, this right here and you guys cured my heart. I'm good. Today, I want to celebrate with my boys, because we are World Champions!"
Martinez underwent a heart procedure in September, one of an innumerable amount of obstacles that challenged but never unraveled this team. Most wrote the Nationals off when the rival Phillies signed star Bryce Harper and seemed to be correct as the team stumbled out of the gate to a 19-31 record despite a strong pitching staff.
But Washington battled back, earning a Wild Card berth—only to face another huge obstacle in the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers were up 3-0 after one and a half innings and held the lead until the bottom of the eighth when Washington went on a three-run rally to advance...and play the NL-best Los Angeles Dodgers. The Nats faced elimination after trailing 2-1 in the NLDS and then again trailed 3-0 after two innings in Game 5 of that series before rallying back and winning in 10 innings.
Then came the World Series, which saw Washington blow a 2-0 series lead by losing all three of its games at home before improbably sweeping the last two on the road. There's a lot of word salad there that truly doesn't even begin scratch the surface of the obstacles the Nats faced and roared back from time and again.
So when Zimmerman says the celebration is going to be bananas, you better believe it. That city and the entire Nationals clubhouse deserves it.
World Series 2019: Nationals Trophy Celebration Highlights, Comments and More
Daniel Hudson's game-ending strikeout sparked the on-field jubilee, which carried on into the locker room and the early hours of Thursday morning. After all, the Nationals halted a 95-year streak; the nation's capital last had a World Series winner in 1924.
The celebration started with Michael Brantley swinging and missing, and Hudson whipped his glove toward the Nats' dugout.
Perhaps the most heartfelt exchange soon followed, with veterans Max Scherzer and Anibal Sanchez absorbing the moment.
Back in 2012, they were teammates on the Detroit Tigers. However, they lost to the San Francisco Giants in a four-game sweep. This time around, Scherzer―who gave up two runs in six innings Thursday―and Sanchez experienced the joyous result.
Aníbal Sánchez crying while hugging Max Scherzer and saying "We won one. We finally won one."
Washington soon gathered to receive the hardware and passed around the Commissioner's Trophy. Flags of the Dominican Republic (four Nationals players, including star outfielder Juan Soto) and Venezuela (three) also adorned the presentation.
General manager Mike Rizzo made sure to celebrate the moment with Nationals fans in the crowd, too.
General manager Mike Rizzo, the architect of the Nationals’ championship team, holds up the #WorldSeries trophy to the Nats fans at Minute Maid Park. pic.twitter.com/whmWaQJx1U
Stephen Strasburg claimed MVP honors after two brilliant performances in the series. He bested Astros star Justin Verlander in both starts. Strasburg allowed four runs in 14.1 innings, striking out 14 batters along the way.
"It's just surreal," he said, per Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com. "And just being able to do it with this group of guys, it's something special. Every one of those guys, we all stuck together."
"Hugging ... dancing ... um ... I think I've gotten a little bit better in both departments."
"The Nats are really good," Astros manager AJ Hinch told reporters after the game. "Congratulations to them. Rizz and Davey and the coaching staff, the players."
Washington will hop on a plane and return to the nation's capital, and Ryan Zimmerman―the organization's first-ever draft pick―is ready to keep celebrating. Scott Allen and Jacob Bogage of the Washington Post provided the veteran's memorable quote.
"I hope you're ready for us to come home," he said, "because it's going to be absolutely bananas."
Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR
Nationals Parade 2019: Route, Live Stream and Expectations
Oct 31, 2019
The Washington Nationals celebrate after Game 7 of the baseball World Series against the Houston Astros Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019, in Houston. The Nationals won 6-2 to win the series. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
There's only one thing to do after winning your first World Series in franchise history.
Party.
The Washington Nationals clinched their first championship in franchise history with a 6-2 victory over the Houston Astros in Wednesday's Game 7, finishing a back-and-forth affair that saw the road team win all seven contests.
They now get to party with their fans. Fox 5 D.C. reported Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the championship parade will be Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.
Jim Lokay and Lindsay Watts of Fox 5 D.C. provided a breakdown of the route, noting the festivities will start on Constitution Avenue NW at 15th Street NW, move east along Constitution Avenue NW and conclude with a team rally on Pennsylvania Avenue NW at 3rd Street NW.
The live-stream information was not available as of this writing, but past World Series parades have been televised on MLB Network. What's more, MLB.com will surely have live coverage, and it is fair to assume the local news in the nation's capital will both televise the parade and cover it on their websites.
As far as expectations go, look for nothing short of a hero's welcome for the newest champions.
Washington fans packed Nationals Park to watch Game 7, even though it was raining outside and the actual contest was more than 1,000 miles away in Minute Maid Park in Houston.
That didn't stop a festive atmosphere from breaking out during the game and a massive celebration that included some slip and slide atop of the dugout following the win:
Nats fans have packed Nationals Park in the rain to watch Game 7 😮
If the fans were willing to sit through weather like that, they are going to pack the streets of Washington D.C. on Saturday during the actual parade.
There are plenty of players who will likely speak during the team rally based on past World Series celebrations, but a few stand out in particular.
Aces Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg carried the Nationals throughout October. The team finished 6-0 when Scherzer appeared in a game and 6-0 when Strasburg appeared in a game during the postseason, including wins in the final two.
What's more, Anthony Rendon drilled a memorable home run in Game 7 and drove in five runs in Game 6, Juan Soto was a hitting machine throughout the playoffs, and Howie Kendrick was the National League Championship Series MVP and ultimate hero of Wednesday's contest.
He sent a two-run homer off the right-field foul pole with the Nationals trailing by one in the seventh inning to give the eventual champions the lead for good.
Expect the crowd to show nothing but adoration throughout the Saturday festivities for all those players and more.
Once on the Precipice of Breaking Up, Nats Bond to Win World Series Their Way
Oct 31, 2019
The Washington Nationals celebrate after Game 7 of the baseball World Series against the Houston Astros Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019, in Houston. The Nationals won 6-2 to win the series. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
HOUSTON — First in war, first in peace and, for the first time since the Roaring '20s, by gosh, first in Major League Baseball.
Elect them. The Washington Nationals seized the World Series in a way nobody ever has, polishing off the Houston Astros with one last comeback, a 6-2 Game 7 shocker, completing one of the most monumental diamond stories ever told.
At the end, it was almost too much for words. As the Nationals filled the stage for the trophy presentation in the minutes after Daniel Hudson fanned Houston's Michael Brantley for the final out, Max Scherzer wept uncontrollably.
He paced the stage like a caged lion. He moved from teammate to teammate, delivering hard hugs and heartfelt huzzahs. He searched the crowd at the foot of the stage for loved ones. He searched the stands for kindred spirits.
When he reached hitting coach Kevin Long, the hug seemed like it would last for minutes.
"This guy lives, breathes and dies with this team," Long said. "He goes around saying, 'This is the greatest team.' With him, it's team, team, team. We, we, we.
"This means the world to him. I was a little worried about him keeping his emotions in check tonight."
Unable to pitch three days ago because of severe spasms in his neck and trapezius, Scherzer started and delivered five solid innings, surrendering two runs on seven hits. What his evening lacked in elegance it more than made up for in sheer willpower. He did everything he could to keep his team in the game until, once again, lightning struck for the Nationals late as they scored all six runs in the last three innings to wipe out Houston's 2-0 lead.
Each of his 103 pitches (58 strikes) seemed as if a spent builder was grimacing to lay one more heavy brick in place after a summer of overwork.
"Listen, two days ago I saw him on the training table," Long said. "I didn't know what happened. I thought he had surgery. He told me, 'Listen, buddy, I'm sorry. I can't make it [to start Game 5].'"
The story, already ripe for World Series lore, locks into place with this Nationals title, a legend that surely will grow and grow as the decades pass.
"He was sent to the morgue three days ago," Nats outfielder Adam Eaton quipped. "The defibrillator revived him, and when he came out, what he did was tremendous."
What they did together was even greater.
Team, team, team. We, we, we.
In delivering the first World Series title to the District of Columbia since 1924, these Nationals went 5-0 in elimination games...after trailing in every single one of them. They became the first team ever to win four road games in a single MLB postseason series.
At 19-31 on May 24, they became the ninth team ever to come back from 12 games under .500 to make the postseason and, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, their 93 regular-season wins were the most for a team that was 12 under at any point in the season since the 1914 Boston Braves.
They rode the bats of Anthony Rendon and Howie Kendrick, World Series Most Valuable Player Stephen Strasburg's moxie, Juan Soto's youthful vigor and a powerful force of nature that started somewhere back around Memorial Day and swirled and swirled until it grew strong enough to blow away everything in its path.
"What we went through early in the season did so much for our chemistry," reliever Sean Doolittle said. "I was getting traded. Tony [Rendon] was getting traded. One article said Max had asked to be traded. Davey [Martinez, Nationals manager] was on the hot seat.
"As a group, we talked about what a missed opportunity this would be with the names in this locker room. How if we couldn't right the ship, guys would be wondering 'what if' for the rest of their careers."
Together, they felt both the frustration and the pressure. Martinez seemed as if he might be relieved of his duties any day.
"Listen, this guy was on the firing line," Long said. "Hell, we all were. They could have fired me. They did fire Derek [Lilliquist, the pitching coach]. I feel bad for Lilliquist.
"It was very emotional for all of us."
Andrew Johnson, the 17th president of the United States, once described Washington, D.C., as "12 square miles bordered by reality." That also serves as an apropos baseball description of the District for the past century.
It is a funky, disjointed hardball history: The Washington Senators played in the American League from 1901 to 1960...and then moved and became the Minnesota Twins.
Immediately, in 1961, the AL awarded two expansion franchises: a new edition of the Washington Senators and the Los Angeles Angels. Those Senators played in D.C. from 1961 to 1971...and then moved to Arlington to become the Texas Rangers.
From 1972 to 2004, there was no baseball in D.C. It didn't return until MLB moved the Montreal Expos there in 2005, when they became the Nationals. Though then-President George W. Bush was on hand to throw out the first pitch at their first home game that April at decrepit RFK Stadium (where they played until Nationals Park opened in 2008), there has been little pomp or circumstance around this franchise since.
US President George W. Bush throws out the first pitch at the home season opener of the new Washington Nationals baseball team 14 April, 2005, at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC. Bush is the first president since Richard Nixon to toss out the first pitch i
Not that hopes weren't high: In 2012, the Nationals produced the game's best record, but that was the year of the infamous Strasburg shutdown. Attempting to protect their franchise pitcher during his first full season, they shut him down for the year in early September and then were upset by the St. Louis Cardinals in the Division Series.
In fact, until this autumn, the Nationals had not won a postseason series since moving from Montreal, also losing in the Division Series in 2014, 2016 and 2017.
To locate any baseball success in Washington—which was tagged as early as 1904 with the sobriquet "first in war, first in peace and last in the American League" by baseball writer Charles Dryden—you have to go all the way back to 1933, when the District last hosted a World Series and the New York Giants beat the Senators in five games.
The one and only Washington World Series win came in 1924, when the Senators beat the Giants in seven games. The winning pitcher in the 12-inning clincher was none other than Hall of Famer Walter "Big Train" Johnson.
Few expected the 2019 Nationals to finish their season in late October with Patrick Corbin succeeding Johnson as the next winning pitcher in a World Series clincher, especially after allowing star outfielder Bryce Harper to walk as a free agent.
But by the time he signed with Philadelphia in February, the Nationals—who had added free-agent pitchers Corbin and Anibal Sanchez and infielder Brian Dozier, among others—knew they were onto something special.
"We're a better team," one high-ranking executive said on an early spring training day in February. "Our pieces fit together better."
Scherzer saw it, too.
"When we signed Anibal, I played with him, I knew what he was about. Getting him on our staff, I knew that was going to be a great thing," said Scherzer, a teammate of Sanchez's in Detroit from 2012 to 2014. "He does such a great job of creating a culture with the Latino culture and with the American culture, getting everybody on the same page and having fun together.
"He's so much fun to play with, so much fun to pitch with. On and off the field, he's so crucial to our clubhouse. And then when you start talking about [Gerardo] Parra and all the other guys, what Dozier's meant to this clubhouse—you can go up and down the lineup of what everyone's meant to this team. It was one through 25, and it's just an amazing feeling when you have that feeling with your team."
After Strasburg delivered 8.1 sturdy innings to win Game 6, someone asked him whether he might be available in relief for Game 7, if only for an out or two.
"No, I emptied the tank tonight," Strasburg said. "Again, it's trusting everybody next to you. It's going to take all 25 of us."
Team, team, team. We, we, we.
And so it did, right down to Rendon's first Game 7 strike against Greinke, a one-out solo homer in the seventh. And Kendrick, the old-hand designated hitter, blasting a two-run homer two batters later. And Eaton drawing a walk and coming around to score in the eighth, and then driving two more runs home with a base hit in the ninth.
"We stuck together. When we had nothing else to lose, when people had written us off... we just kept on fighting and happened to come out on top." - Anthony Rendon pic.twitter.com/dfPmc6AV2M
And right down to Scherzer—already charting unknown waters coming back so quickly after he needed his wife's help simply to dress himself Sunday morning—pairing with catcher Yan Gomes for Game 7 after losing his regular backstop, Kurt Suzuki, at the last minute because of a hip injury.
While all eyes were on Scherzer, it was Suzuki who walked into Martinez's office Wednesday afternoon and tearfully told his manager that he couldn't go.
Suzuki, Scherzer's regular catcher, had strained his right hip flexor earlier in the series and, like Scherzer over the past 48 hours, had done everything possible in the trainer's room to get himself ready to go.
But with his name already in the Game 7 lineup and first pitch closing in, he realized a hard truth.
"At some point, you've got to put your ego in your back pocket and say what's best for the team," Suzuki said.
The 13-year veteran called it "the hardest decision I've ever made in my baseball career." In Martinez's office, he broke down in tears. Scherzer came in, delivered a hug, and told him: "I love you, bro. I know you did everything you could. We got you."
They sure did.
Those first two months—when their bullpen was historically bad and regulars Trea Turner, Rendon, Soto and Kendrick each was knocked onto the injured list—were a distant memory. Beginning May 24, the Nationals began racking up curly W after curly W, with their 74-38 record from that date onward tying that of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the game's second-best mark. Only the Astros (74-37) were better.
And despite the Astros owning the game's best home record this summer at 60-21, the Nationals figured if they could buzz through Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander in Houston in Games 1 and 2, why couldn't they finish it off in Minute Maid Park, even after losing three in a row at home?
Scherzer's miraculous return was the exclamation mark. Not only did he fly to Houston in a neck brace after getting "shot up with different s--t" Saturday and then cortisone Sunday to alleviate the spasms in the trapezius, but he also wore the neck brace to bed at night—including on the eve of Game 7.
That's why, he said, he wasn't worried about what he would wake up to when he went to sleep Tuesday night. By then, he figured, he had made it through the flight, the cortisone was working and the team chiropractor had performed several small miracles.
"I never felt like the moment or the situation of the game ever was going to wear me down," said Scherzer, who pitched to a 2.09 ERA with Suzuki behind the plate this year and a 4.09 mark with Yan Gomes catching. "I was going to continue to execute pitches and stay with Yan. I've been working with Suzuki the whole year, but I don't believe in just throwing to one catcher. I believe that you have to be able to throw to both catchers.
"I wanted to stay with Yan. I really wanted to make it stick. Watching what he did with Stras last night, I really had a belief that he knows what he's doing. I just wanted to continue to execute pitches. I knew the situation, even though I was giving up some runs and Greinke was throwing the ball well, that our team was going to fight."
As the champagne sprayed and the night grew longer, they thought of outfielder Jayson Werth, the first big free-agent signing here back in 2010, and how he changed the culture into one that learned how to win. They remembered the strain over the years to reach this championship moment.
Under old-school general manager Mike Rizzo, they have gone against the grain and invested heavily in starting pitching: Scherzer, at $210 million over seven years. Corbin, at $140 million over six years. Re-upping Strasburg at $175 million over seven years (he has an opt-out he can exercise this winter if he desires).
They also have not been afraid to acquire veterans. We may be having a "Let the kids play" moment, but these Nationals are the oldest team in the majors, with an average age of 31.1 years. As several of them joke, around here it's "Let the viejos play."
Just maybe, they said as they celebrated, other teams in a copycat sport will pick up on all this.
"I hope so," Doolittle said. "Teams don't have to go through full tear-downs to win the World Series. This organization didn't use the [complete] rebuild model. We went out and got guys with reputations for being good teammates, good clubhouse guys.
"I hope the game sees what we did. There are a bunch of guys past 30 years old who played huge roles on this team."
On Wednesday night, there was no one in the game who didn't notice.
Scott Miller covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow Scott on Twitter and talk baseball.
Washington Nationals Parade 2019: Route, Date, Time, Live-Stream and TV Info
Oct 31, 2019
HOUSTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 30: Max Scherzer #31 of the Washington Nationals celebrates in the locker room after defeating the Houston Astros in Game Seven to win the 2019 World Series at Minute Maid Park on October 30, 2019 in Houston, Texas. The Washington Nationals defeated the Houston Astros with a score of 6 to 2. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
With the win, the Nats joined the 2017-18 Capitals and 2019 Mystics to give the nation's capital three major American sports championships in a 16-month span.
That means a parade is forthcoming, and D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser's office provided the official details early Thursday morning, per Jim Lokay of Fox 5 News.
Here's a look at what they are as well as a quick recap of the Nats' improbable season.
Parade Details
Date and Time
The parade will begin Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.
Route
The route will start on Constitution Avenue NW at 15th Street NW, go east on Constitution Avenue NW and finish on Pennsylvania Avenue NW at 3rd Street NW.
Television and Live-Stream Information
Television and live-stream information was unknown as of Thursday at 1:30 a.m. ET, but if last season is any indication, MLB Network will be the national television home for the Nats' parade, with local Washington D.C. affiliates also providing celebration coverage.
MLB Network showcased the Boston Red Sox's 2018 parade with local Boston news stations providing coverage as well.
Potential Attendance
Per Mayor Bowser's June 2018 appearance on The Sports Junkies radio show, an estimated 500,000 people went to the National Mall to celebrate the Caps. A half-million people at minimum seems like a good bet for Saturday, especially considering that the Caps' celebration occurred on a work day (Tuesday).
Washington capped an improbable World Series run in which the Nats started the season 19-31, the National League's second-worst record as of May 23.
However, the Nats finished the season 74-38 en route to a Wild Card Game berth. Once there, Washington overcame a 3-1 deficit in the eighth inning to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3.
The Nats then engineered one of the greatest postseason runs in MLB history, beginning with a five-game NL Division Series win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In the win-or-take-all Game 5, Washington trailed 3-0 in the sixth and 3-1 in the eighth but won 7-3 in 10 innings thanks to a Howie Kendrick grand slam.
After a dominant NL Championship Series sweep over the St. Louis Cardinals, the Nationals then took down the 107-win Astros in seven games, winning all four on the road.
The Nationals are the first team to beat two 100-win teams in the same postseason since the 2004 Boston Red Sox and the first ever to beat two teams with at least 102 wins.
Per MLB Stats, the Nats had under a 0.1 percent chance to win the World Series on May 28, and their 19-31 start was the worst of any World Series champion in MLB history.
But Fall Classics aren't won in the spring, and now a championship parade is forthcoming.
Nationals Win 2019 World Series: Highlights, Twitter Reaction to Celebration
Oct 31, 2019
HOUSTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 30: Manager Dave Martinez #4 of the Washington Nationals hoists the Commissioners Trophy after defeating the Houston Astros 6-2 in Game Seven to win the 2019 World Series in Game Seven of the 2019 World Series at Minute Maid Park on October 30, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
The Washington Nationals are World Series champions for the first time in franchise history after rallying late to defeat the Houston Astros in Game 7 on Wednesday.
As soon as the final out was recorded, the celebration was on at Minute Maid Park:
Anthony Rendon, who started Washington's rally with a solo home run in the top of the seventh, also shared his thoughts:
"We stuck together. When we had nothing else to lose, when people had written us off... we just kept on fighting and happened to come out on top." - Anthony Rendon pic.twitter.com/dfPmc6AV2M
In a year that began with the face of the franchise (Bryce Harper) joining a National League East rival (the Philadelphia Phillies), things did not look good early on in 2019 for Washington. It struggled out of the gate, going 19-31 in its first 50 games.
The Nationals are the 2nd team in MLB history to win the World Series after being at least 12 games below .500 during the regular season (1914 Braves).
They are also the 1st team in MLB history to win 3 winner-take-all games in a single postseason. pic.twitter.com/Y9lCONbLQR
According to MLB Stats, the team had a 0.1 percent chance of winning the World Series shortly after that point.
In the end, though, a star-studded rotation combined with a relentless lineup helped the Nationals not only save their season but also win the franchise's first-ever championship.
