Nationals Renew Affiliation with Harrisburg Senators of the Double-A Eastern League

Harrisburg is franchise's longest-running affiliate. The Washington Nationals today announced the signing of a two-year Player Development Contract with the Harrisburg Senators of the Double-A Eastern League. Nationals President Stan Kasten, Nationals Senior Vice President and General Manager Mike Rizzo, Nationals Assistant General Manager and Vice President/Player Development Bob Boone and Director of Player Development Doug Harris made the joint announcement. "We are delighted to once again continue our relationship with the Harrisburg Senators," said Kasten. "Harrisburg, Metro Bank Park, the Senators and their fans have served as wonderful hosts for our players through the years. We look forward to introducing them to our next wave of exciting talent and continuing our longest-running minor-league affiliation." Harrisburg Senators President Kevin Kulp said, "We are very pleased to make this announcement. The excitement this year at new Metro Bank Park with Stephen Strasburg, and now the playoff race, adds a whole new dimension to our on-going relationship with the Nationals." The Senators currently reside in second place in the Eastern League's West Division with a 67-59 (.532) record. If the season ended today, Harrisburg would capture the West Division's second of two post-season berths, as they lead third-place Bowie by 1.0 game in the standings. Harrisburg is 132-106 (.555) since May 15, 2009 or since finishing a slow five-week start to the 2009 campaign. Since 2005, the year the Nationals relocated to Washington, 29 former Senators have debuted in the big leagues with the Nationals, including Ryan Zimmerman, Stephen Strasburg, John Lannan, Jordan Zimmerman, Drew Storen and Ian Desmond. The Harrisburg Senators entered the Eastern League in 1987 and have been an affiliate of the Nationals franchise since signing on with the Montreal Expos in 1991. By partnering with Harrisburg, the Nationals' Double-A affiliate is just 115 miles north of The Nation's Capital and 250 miles south of Syracuse, the Nationals' Triple-A Eastern League affiliate, on Interstate-81. The Senators currently play in 6,100-seat Metro Bank Stadium, which is located on City Island and underwent a $45-millon renovation that was completed this past off-season. From 1996-99, the Senators became the first Eastern League club to win four consecutive League Championships.