RFK Finale

It was one for the recordbooks, people! For today marks the end of an era, and the promise of a new beginning next April: today we witnessed the final Nationals game ever to be played at RFK Stadium, and it was a glorious day all around.

Today's opponent was the Philadelphia Phillies, and in a stunning display of power and cohesion, the Nats topped the Phillies 5-3, thus ending the days of baseball at RFK on a glorious note. Christina and I joined Will and Erica in our usual seats (down along the right field line, in the 400-level seats for a change), and we watched with glee as the Nats gave a strong on-field performance under a beautiful blue sky.

The game progressed rather quickly up until the 5th inning, when both teams started to show some signs of fatigue. Philly pulled two pitchers in the bottom of the 5th, and the Nats struggled to keep the game in check in the 6th. But a walked-in run, a triple, and some good hits allowed the Nats to pull ahead by the time we clocked in that final out.

A big surprise, too, came in the President's Race! Earlier this season, I made a prediction that Teddy would win the President's Race at the last-ever game at RFK . . . and that prediction didn't come to fruition! Apparently, many other fans made the same prediction as me, because when the President's Race began, the whole place began to chant, "Ted-dy! Ted-dy!" And on the scoreboard, it showed all four of the racers starting out in their customary way: running through downtown DC and making their way to RFK—only when they showed Teddy running into the ballpark, it was Nationals Park he was running into! Not RFK! So contrary to my (and everyone else's) prediction, Teddy lost this race. Which leads me to wonder, will he win the first race at Nationals Park next April? Time will only tell, but it's a shame he didn't win at least one race at RFK, because that would have felt appropriate to the concluding festivities.

But I must admit, it's really hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that we'll no longer be trotting out to RFK to see a Nats game. We'll no longer welcome spring with a weekday-morning journey to Stadium-Armory for the season opener in April. Instead, we'll be taking the Green Line down to the Navy Yard to the new (and as yet unnamed) Nationals Park. I admit, I'm really eager to sit inside the new ballpark and enjoy many a Nats game there, but I'll nevertheless always associate the return of baseball to DC with RFK Stadium.

And I know many others will, too, because today the fans really showed up to mark the last RFK Nats game. I don't think attendance was ever announced, but it was a pretty packed house. Probably upwards of 30,000 (which is pretty damn good for this season).

I honestly can't believe it's come and gone, but after an exciting beginning at RFK Stadium, baseball in DC is about to move on to a new and exciting chapter. And on that note, I bid you adieu, RFK. It's been a great three years of Nationals baseball there, and I feel it only appropriate now to borrow that famous line by Bob Hope: thanks for the memories.