As we celebrate 20 years of Nationals baseball, we look back at the iconic moments and players that made this franchise what it is today. With that in mind, there’s no better place than to start with the franchise’s most iconic player, Ryan Zimmerman’s moment. Rewind the clock to March 30, 2008 and relive the moment Employee #11 opened Nationals Park.
The move from RFK Stadium to Nationals Park was a signal that the Nationals are here to stay. The state-of-the-art stadium at the time was a shining light for baseball, showing that the national pastime would never leave the nation’s capital again. The Nationals are in their fourth year and are still far from being competitive on the field, but the stadium heralds the arrival of a young and ambitious franchise.
The face of this young franchise was none other than fresh third baseman Ryan Zimmerman. he was batter third base and was already a fan at the age of 23. In the bottom of the 9th inning, with two outs, Zimmerman came to the plate looking for his first hit of the night.
Peter Moylan’s 1-0 pitch gave him a stunning victory. Zimmerman sucked the ball into the red seats in left-center field, above the wall that said Welcome Home. Charlie Slowes is symbolic callMeanwhile, Nationals Park was in chaos. The Nationals won their first game in their brand new stadium.
They failed to win any more games and finished the season with a dismal record of 59 wins and 102 losses. But in one night, we saw just how electric baseball can be in the nation’s capital. This home run was a sign of brighter days, even if Nationals fans had to wait years to see it.