Rachel Levitin: Younger Nats fans lucky to experience winning baseball in D.C.

The last (and first) time the Nationals clinched the National League East championship, it was Oct. 1, 2012. It was the end of the season. Stakes were high. Adrenaline was ever-present. It was all new territory and they were able to secure the victory while also celebrating on their home turf at Nationals Park. The second time around, things were a little different. The Nats clinched their division on Sept. 16 in Atlanta at Turner Field with a couple of weeks still left in the season. Sure, it looked like the closer this squad got to the end of baseball's marathon run of 162 games, the closer they'd get to securing a spot among the teams scheduled to play in October. But now that they're a shoo-in for playoff baseball, it's hard to tell if this division championship is just as satisfying as the first. What it comes down to is that both division titles were well-earned through hard work, determination, persistence, patience and talent. The way in which the titles were celebrated were different in terms of location and timing, but for a ballclub nine years into its current incarnation, this is certainly a celebration worthy of Washington's time. As I headed home on the Metro after Tuesday night's 4-2 win over the New York Mets, I ended up catching the same exact green and red line trains as a dad and his young son. They both sat by me our entire ride home and I watched as they sat silently next to each other with smiles on their faces. The father - young, but likely in his late 30s or early 40s - sported a 2012 Nats division championship cap while his son - who appeared to be no more than 10-12 - donned a red Ryan Zimmerman jersey with a MASN log etched on his right arm. I couldn't help but think, "How cool is it that this father-son pair get share playoff baseball together? Because 10 years ago, this wouldn't have even a possibility for a D.C.-based family." It's true. Ten years ago, D.C. didn't have a ballclub. The Orioles existed, but Baltimore isn't exactly a quick Metro ride away. I just kept thinking, "How cool is it that young kids get to grow up in this time of a baseball resurgence in Washington?" They don't know the early Nats who struggled to get out of the gutter. Sure, some of the die-hard young fans have likely done tons of reading on the history of the Nats. (Side Note: As a young baseball fan living in Chicago, I read pretty much every book and newspaper piece I could find on the Cubs just because I wanted the context of what brought this team to the modern day. I'm sure I'm not the only wide-eyed baseball-loving kid who's done that.) But the kids young enough to share a game with their parents on a school night in September are seeing something truly special that they're sure to remember for the rest of their lives. And that, to me, is really cool. Rachel Levitin blogs about the Nationals for We Love DC. Follow her on Twitter: @RHLevitin. She will be sharing her observations about baseball in the nation's capital as part of MASNsports.com's season-long initiative of welcoming guest bloggers to our little corner of cyberspace. All opinions expressed are those of the guest bloggers, who are not employed by MASNsports.com but are just as passionate about their baseball as our roster of writers.