Nationals Achieve Something They Haven't Done Since Their World Series-Winning Season

The Washington Nationals do something they haven't done in seven years.

Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood | Brad Mills-Imagn Images

Just a few days ago, it seemed like the Washington Nationals might have reached the tipping point in their season.

On the verge of sweeping the San Francisco Giants, which would have closed out a six-game road stretch with five wins to their name, the Nationals had a historic meltdown that prevented that from happening. Then, following their day off, they were thrashed by the surging Seattle Mariners to begin their key six-game homestand.

That loss pushed Washington to a 35-35 record. And after they were tied for a share of the final NL Wild Card spot, their blunder against the Giants and the no show against the Mariners caused them to sit a couple of games out of the third position. Fortunately, the Nationals rallied and won the final two games of their set against Seattle. They then kept that momentum rolling into their opener against the Kansas City Royals on Monday, where a 7-3 victory for Washington achieved something the franchise hadn't accomplished since they won the World Series in 2019.

Nationals Are Three Games Above .500 for First Time in Seven Years

Washington Nationals World Series championship signs | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

It's been seven years since the Nationals had a record where they sat three games above .500, which came on July 5, 2019 following a loss to the Royals that put them at 45-42.

Of course, nobody believed Washington was going to do much of anything that year, let alone win the World Series. They were horrendous in the early portion of the season. After April 18, they didn't have a winning record until the final days of June, when they beat the Detroit Tigers in a road game on June 28. However, after the Nationals got to three games above .500, they didn't look back on their way to winning the franchise's first-ever championship.

Having lightning strike twice for Washington when it comes to an upstart team doing something unforeseen seems unlikely this year. This version of the Nationals is extremely young. And while there are current and future stars on the roster, they are missing high-end pieces in the pitching staff to truly be considered contenders.

Still, considering how brutal some of the recent seasons were in the nation's capital, it's been refreshing to see Washington compete on a daily basis no matter who they are facing. That has not only resulted in them achieving something not done since the infamous 2019 campaign, but they remain in the mix to carve out their own legacy as they try to make a postseason appearance.