Starting lineups: Nats vs. Astros in West Palm Beach

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The day has arrived. Not everyone was convinced it would happen, at least not in time. But it is happening, and it's happening on time. Today, the Nationals and Astros play a game inside their new spring training stadium after years of planning and 16 furious months of construction that went right down to the wire.

"I'm very impressed, cause they've been working around the clock," manager Dusty Baker said. "Every day, I see something new. The other day I was coming in the front door and they had the little railings up. Man, two days ago they weren't up. So I'm very impressed."

Baker, like everyone else in a Nationals uniform, has seen only a glimpse inside The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, because the facility was still considering a construction zone even as spring training opened. So there is a certain curiosity as they actually walk into the stadium today and prepare to play a game without having so much as held a light workout on the field prior to this point.

"I've only been in the stadium one time, and that was two weeks ago," Baker said. "I have an idea what it looks like, but I won't know til I get in there, actually."

There is plenty of pomp and circumstance planned before Jeremy Guthrie throws the first pitch at 1:05 p.m. A host of local politicians instrumental in making this complex happen will be honored. Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred will be on hand. This is no ordinary Grapefruit League home opener.

If you can't be here to witness it all in person, you're in luck, because the entire MASN crew is here and will be televising the game live at 1 p.m. with a replay showing at 7 p.m. for anyone who has to work during the day. Bob Carpenter, F.P. Santangelo and Dan Kolko are all set to go with their first broadcast of 2017.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. HOUSTON ASTROS
Where: The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach
Gametime: 1:05 p.m. EST
TV: MASN
Radio: 1500 AM, 1580 AM, XM 869
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 81 degrees, wind 15 mph right field to left field

NATIONALS
SS Trea Turner
2B Daniel Murphy
RF Bryce Harper
DH Jayson Werth
3B Stephen Drew
C Derek Norris
CF Adam Eaton
1B Clint Robinson
LF Adam Lind
RHP Jeremy Guthrie

ASTROS
1B Marwin González
3B Alex Bregman
2B José Altuve
SS Carlos Correa
DH Carlos Beltran
RF Teoscar Hernández
C Juan Centeno
CF Jake Marisnick
LF Andrew Alpin
RHP Mike Fiers