Washington Nationals Officially Eliminated From MLB Playoff Race
For the fifth year in a row, there won't be any playoff baseball in Washington, D.C.
The Washington Nationals were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Thursday with their 6-3 loss to the Miami Marlins. The series-opening loss was the Nationals' 81st of the season, guaranteeing another October without playoff baseball in the nation's capital.
One more loss will clinch a fifth straight losing year as well.
While disappointing, this team was not expected to make the playoffs.
Not only were they coming off a 91-loss campaign, but they also play in one of the toughest divisions in baseball, sharing the NL East with three potential postseason teams in the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves and New York Mets.
The Nationals will not be wearing Strauss helmets this season pic.twitter.com/Kmcj9q9sD4
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 14, 2024
While Washington is officially out of the playoff race, there are still plenty of reasons to watch the team over the final two weeks of the regular season.
The Nationals have a lot of young talent on display at the moment, including star rookies James Wood and Dylan Crews.
With other up-and-comers like Luis Garcia Jr., CJ Abrams, Keibert Ruiz, MacKenzie Gore and D.J. Herz on the roster, Washington has several breakout players who appear to be on the verge of stardom. The Nationals are on the rise and could very well be a playoff team in 2025 or 2026 if their young core continues to progress.
In the meantime, Washington still has a chance to play spoiler down the stretch.
The Nationals have matchups against the Mets, Chicago Cubs and Kansas City Royals, all of whom are still battling for a Wild Card spot. Washington also might have a chance to prevent the Phillies from finishing with the best record in baseball and earning the top seed in the National League.
The Nationals may be toast, but they're still more fun to watch than the Washington Commanders these days.
TYLER MAHER