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 Nationals
Park
Washington,
D.C.
In 2008, the
Washington Nationals began a new chapter in their short history in
Washington, DC when they opened their new ballpark. For the first time
since 1962 when RFK Stadium opened, fans in the Nation's capital
have a new ballpark to see a ballgame at. In April 2005,
baseball returned to Washington,
DC for the first time since the Senators left after the 1971
season. After trying to lure the Houston Astros and San Diego Padres
to the city in the 1990s, the Montreal Expos moved Washington DC after the 2004 season.
For nearly a decade the Expos struggled attracting fans to Olympic
Stadium and trying to get a new ballpark construction. By 2000 it
became inevitable that the Expos would eventually leave the City of
Montreal.
Several
cities sought the Expos, but Washington DC was the logical location
for the team to relocate. The city had been without MLB for over three decades
and became one of the largest cities in the nation that could support a
baseball team. In September 2004, MLB announced that the Expos would
move to the city. In November 2004, the Montreal Expos were renamed
the Washington Nationals and began playing at RFK Stadium in April
2005. RFK Stadium had been the home to the Washington Senators
before they moved and became the Texas Rangers after the 1971
season. Built in 1961, RFK Stadium lacked many of the amenities of
newer ballparks and is a multipurpose stadium. As part of the
agreement for the Nationals to move to DC was the city building a
new ballpark. Throughout December 2004, there were weeks of
political wrangling as several members of the District of Columbia
Council balked at an earlier plan to finance a new stadium. City officials and MLB negotiated a
deal that allowed some private financing for the ballpark. In March 2006, the Nationals and
the DC Sports Commission released plans for the new Nationals
ballpark. Groundbreaking occurred in May 2006 and was
constructed in southeast Washington along the Anacostia River,
bordered by South Capital Street to the west, M Street to the north,
First Street to the east and Potomac Avenue to the south. The
ballpark has yet to be named after a corporate sponsor and is known
as Nationals Park.
On March
30, 2008 the Washington Nationals played their first game at
Nationals Park against the Atlanta Braves. Nationals Park is the
fourth ballpark to open in Washington DC following American League
Park, Griffith Stadium and RFK Stadium. The
Washington Nationals ballpark breaks away from the traditional mold of newer ballparks
and has a sleek, more modern design that features a mostly glass and
steel facade. Like Turner Field in Atlanta, many fans enter the
ballpark through the outfield areas that leads from the Navy Yard
Metro station. Open concourses can be found throughout the ballpark
with escalators and ramps taking fans to their seats. With a seating
capacity of 41,000, fans have great views of the action on the
field from just about anywhere in the ballpark. Roughly 22,000 seats
are located in the lower deck and stretch from the left field
foul pole to homeplate and around the right field foul pole. The upper deck, where fans will be able
to see the US Capital Building, seats 12,000 and breaks into
two sections along the first base side. Additional seating and
bleachers are found beyond the
outfield.
Nationals
Park has many luxuries and amenities similar to other ballparks
built recently. Approximately 1,800 padded luxury seats are in the
first few rows directly behind homeplate. The ballpark also feature
2,500 club seats, 1,112 suite seats and a 500-seat founder's club.
Fans can visit the PNC Diamond Club, a baseball inspired restaurant
that celebrates Washington's baseball history. The Homestead Greys
Bar, located inside the Stars and Stripes Club is a tribute to
 Washington's Negro
League team. Located near the centerfield gate is Strike Zone, a
kids play area featuring a variety of games. Fans visiting Nationals
Park will notice that the ballpark has all blue seats except in
centerfield. Here is the Red Porch, directly below the Red Porch
Restaurant where fans watch the game from a different perspective.
Nationals Park would not be complete without one of the most
distinctive trees that Washington DC is known for, cherry trees.
Fourteen Kwanzan Japanese cherry trees are located in the
centerfield plaza and left field concourse.
Washington Nationals Tickets
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