A well-earned division title

ATLANTA - It took many hard-fought nights, many comebacks, many sacrifices and many hours of work. And tonight, it all paid off in the form of a 2014 National League East championship. For the second time in three seasons, the Nationals have won the NL East, and they've done it with 12 games still remaining in the regular season. A dominant second half combined with a sliding Braves team allowed the Nats to clinch the division here at Turner Field with tonight's 3-0 win. The Nats spilled into the clubhouse to pop bottles, celebrate, and drink to a title that they most certainly earned over the last six months. "It's a great organizational night tonight," general manager Mike Rizzo said. "We've got some unfinished business to do. We know that. We hope this is the first step of many. But I'm proud of the guys." In Matt Williams' first season as a big league manager, his team took home a division title. Williams let his team help define how they wanted to play and how they wanted to attack their opponents. "I know there was a lot of hard work along the way," Williams said. "There was some trials and tribulations, too, but I am very proud of them. They've taken ownership of the way they want to play this game and how they go about it and that's every day. So the fruits of that labor are we get to stand where we're at. There's a lot of work to do, though." The Nats have been here before. They won the NL East in 2012, winning 98 games that season to finish with the best record in baseball. Then they were bounced in the NL Division Series by the Cardinals in five games. So what's different this time around? What gives this Nats the confidence that they'll have better success come postseason time? "We're better," reliever Tyler Clippard said. "More experienced. We've been through it. We know what to expect from everyone on the field. These guys in the infield can close their eyes and we know where they're going to be. We had a good club, a good team." A team with tremendous chemistry. Some people don't buy into a team's chemistry making an actual on-field impact. Don't count reliever Drew Storen among that group. "That's the factor," Storen said. "Everybody's good up here. You have guys in here playing for the right reasons, and playing for each other, playing for that ring, you're going to have some success." The Nats battled through a lot this season. They adjusted to new leadership at the managerial position better than many organizations do. They've dealt with injuries to key players at numerous positions. They've battled through continued issues in head-to-head matchups with Atlanta through the first half of the season. And now they're postseason-bound yet again. "We've had a lot of injuries this year and we've overcome a lot," right fielder Jayson Werth said. "To get to this point, it's quite an accomplishment for this organization, for the fans and the city. It's just a first step, we have a long way to go, still got a lot to play for in the regular season here. Home-field advantage throughout is important. We'll take a day off. We can set up our pitching. Get some guys some rest, but we've still got games to play and meaningful games at that. "Once the postseason gets here, all bets are off. That's when it's fun, that's when it's easy. It's a good time. I'm happy."