Nationals Announce 2009 Schedule
The Washington Nationals released their 2009 schedule, which includes 81 home dates, beginning with Washington's 76th home opener since 1901 on Monday, April 13 vs. NL East-rival Philadelphia and is highlighted by a three-game interleague visit from the Boston Red Sox and a four-game weekend series from the Chicago Cubs. Nationals President Stan Kasten made the announcement.
"We could not be more pleased with the 2009 schedule which features more attractive weekend opponents at Nationals Park," said Kasten. "Our fans will also enjoy the benefits of interleague play's rotation, which yields AL East opponents next year, including the Red Sox."
The Nationals will begin their 2009 slate on the road, April 6 at Florida, but return north a week later, Monday, April 13, to renew the long-standing tradition of Opening Day in Washington, DC.
The Nationals last season reignited the tradition of the home opener in Washington, as on March 30, the Nationals celebrated DC's 75th Opener by edging Atlanta, 3-2, as Ryan Zimmerman hit a game-ending solo homer in the ninth inning of the inaugural contest at Nationals Park. From 1952-71, the Senators annually began the American League schedule with a home game in the Nation's Capital.
Beyond Opening Day, the Nationals' 81-game home slate features three visits piece from all National League East rivals, including six weekend sets against the Atlanta Braves (July 3-5, September 25-27), New York Mets (June 5-7), Philadelphia Phillies (May 15-17) and Florida Marlins (April 17-19, September 4-6). Washington's 2008 schedule included just two weekend series against NL East rivals, none of which included the Mets or Phillies.
Washington baseball fans can also look forward to four-game weekend visits from the tradition-rich Cubs (July 16-19) and St. Louis Cardinals (May 1-3).
A three-game visit from the Red Sox, June 23-25, fronts an improved interleague slate. The Red Sox return to The District for the first time since they won a pair of exhibition games at RFK Memorial Stadium, April 4-5, 1992, over the Orioles (4-3) and Phillies (9-3), respectively.
The Red Sox also won their most-recent regular-season contest in Washington, 4-3, on September 19, 1971 at the expense of their Hall-of-Fame outfielder, Ted Williams, who was managing the final version of the Senators at the time.
Thanks to interleague play, the Nationals will face their natural rival, the Baltimore Orioles, six times, with each club hosting three games. The 2009 version of the Battle of the Beltways series begins at Nationals Park the weekend of May 22-24 and concludes at Oriole Park, June 26-28.
A three-game set against the Toronto Blue Jays (June 19-21) rounds out the Nationals' three interleague home series. Washington will pay three-game interleague visits to the Tampa Bay Rays (June 12-14) and New York Yankees (June 16-18), who will be in the midst of their inaugural campaign at new Yankee Stadium.
Washington fans will enjoy 11 homestands in all, two of which last a season-long 10 games (May 15-24 and July 16-26). While 20 of Washington's first 35 games on its 2009 schedule will take place on the road, Nationals fans will enjoy 25 home games during a 37-game stretch from May 15-June 25. The 2009 regular season concludes on the road in Atlanta (Sunday, October 4 at Turner Field).
