Relive "Nationals Classics": Beating up on the Phillies and Marlins

We're inching closer and closer to the arrival of spring training! Can you believe that Nationals pitchers and catchers report to The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in 37 days, with position players arriving just three days later?

While you countdown the days to baseball's return, MASN continues along with our "Nationals Classics" series this week with some memorable NL East victories over the Phillies and Marlins. This would be the week to tune in if you hold special animosity to the Nats' rivals from The City of Brotherly Love or South Beach, as five of our seven classics this week feature matchups against those clubs.

Here's the rundown of this week's "Nationals Classics" schedule on MASN:

Monday, Jan. 9, noon - The Washington, D.C.-Philadelphia sports rivalry came full-circle with the Nationals' arrival in our nation's capital in 2005. Earlier in the season over the course of a three-game series in Philly, the Phillies walked off the Nats twice. But the guys in the curly-W caps returned the favor in a Sept. 3 game at RFK Stadium, thanks to Preston Wilson's walk-off RBI single in the 12th inning.

Tuesday, Jan. 10, noon - Ryan Zimmerman has made his mark in Nationals rivalry games. One of his earliest moments came in a July 6, 2006 game at home against the Marlins. With two outs in the bottom of the 11th and the game tied at 7-7, Mr. Walk-off sent the Fish packing with a game-winning RBI single.

Wednesday, Jan. 11, noon - The Nationals had to fight from behind throughout most of this Friday night matchup against the Phillies on May 4, 2012. The Nats were able to put together a slow-but-steady comeback at Nats Park that culminated with Steve Lombardozzi's single, Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth walks, and Wilson Ramos' pinch-hit walk-off single, all coming with two outs in the 11th.

Thursday, Jan. 12, 12:30 a.m. - In the first of our non-divisional rival classics this week, relive a dominating pitching performance by Jordan Zimmermann, who pitched a complete-game shutout of the Reds while holding them to just one hit on April 26, 2013.

Thursday, Jan. 12, noon - Back to beating those pesky rivals ... The Phillies were able to score two runs off Gio Gonzalez in the first inning of a June 19, 2013 game at Citizens Bank Park, but that was it. The Nationals lefty gave up just those two runs and two hits while striking out 11 over seven innings. It took a while for the Nats offense to get going, but when it did, it went off with a slam. Ian Desmond's 11th-inning grand slam lifted the Nats to a 6-2 victory over the Phils.

Friday, Jan. 13, noon - The Nationals have had some classic games against the Pirates at Nats Park over the years (see Stephen Strasburg's debut in 2010 and Max Scherzer's first no-hitter of 2015). This Aug. 17, 2014 matchup took a little longer than usual, but it was worth the wait. Werth came off the bench and delivered the knockout blow in the 11th inning to give the Nats their sixth straight victory.

Sunday, Jan. 15, 8:30 p.m. - The Nationals got homer-happy, ironically enough, at an opposing ballpark on April 19 of this past season. In just their second visit to Marlins Park, the Nats set a franchise record by crushing four home runs, including a Harper grand slam, in the seventh inning to back up Strasburg's dominant start en route to a 7-0 win.