Beltway Series

Battle of the Beltways
Teams
  • Baltimore Orioles
  • Washington Nationals
First meeting May 19, 2006
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C.
Orioles 5, Nationals 1
Latest meeting June 21, 2018
Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.
Nationals 4, Orioles 2
Next meeting July 16, 2019
Oriole Park, Baltimore, MD
Statistics
Meetings total 70
Regular season series Orioles, 39–31 (.557)
Largest victory Nationals, 17–5 (May 20, 2011)
Longest win streak
  • Orioles: 6 (September 22, 2015–August 24, 2016)
  • Nationals: 6 (May 10, 2017–June 19, 2018)
Current win streak Nationals 1 (June 21, 2018)

The Beltway Series, promoted by the teams as "The Battle of the Beltways," is the Major League Baseball (MLB) interleague rivalry series played between the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals. The Orioles are a member of the American League (AL) East division, and the Nationals are a member of the National League (NL) East division. The series name is taken from the beltway highways, the Baltimore Beltway (I-695) and the Capital Beltway (I-95/I-495), that serve Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., respectively.

Unusually for a sports rivalry, it arises more from circumstances surrounding the history of baseball in the two cities, about 50 miles (80 km) apart yet considered different markets, than anything that has so far happened on the field between the teams. Washington's previous team, the Senators, had been AL regulars for most of the 20th century, but after their 1933 pennant often finished last or almost last in the standings. Within a decade of the AL St. Louis Browns' move to Baltimore in the 1950s, the Orioles became pennant contenders while the Senators became the Minnesota Twins, and a replacement Senators franchise fared little better either commercially or athletically, becoming the Texas Rangers within another decade, as the Orioles won the World Series. Following that move, Orioles' owner Peter Angelos strongly opposed any attempt by Major League Baseball (MLB) to expand to Washington despite that city's larger market, arguing that both teams would suffer commercially and that the Orioles' protected market had legally expanded to Washington once the second Senators franchise moved.

After the former Montreal Expos moved to Washington for the 2005 season, the Nationals and the Orioles began a contentious business relationship over the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) cable channel that carries telecasts of both teams' games, the only such arrangement in MLB. The Orioles own the majority stake, with the Nationals a 10% partner. In the early 2010s the Nationals claimed that they were not getting their full share of MASN revenue; MLB's arbitration panel agreed with them but the Orioles, rather than accept that result, took it to court instead.

History of the series

When interleague play began in 1997, MLB identified the Philadelphia Phillies as Baltimore′s interleague "natural rival," and the Orioles began an annual interleague series against the Phillies that season. At the time, the franchise that would become the Washington Nationals played in Montreal as the Montreal Expos, and the Expos played the Toronto Blue Jays as their interleague "natural rival" each year from 1997 to 2004 in what became known as the All-Canadian Series. The Orioles and Expos met one another in routine interleague play – without any connotation of a "rivalry" or other special association between the teams – during the 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001 seasons, and Montreal won seven of the 12 meetings. The Orioles and Expos did not play one another again after the 2001 season.

The relocation of the Expos to Washington for the 2005 season marked the first time the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area had two Major League Baseball franchises since the 1971 season, after which the second Washington Senators franchise had moved to Arlington, Texas, to become the Texas Rangers. MLB changed the Orioles′ "natural rival" to the Nationals, but the Expos move to Washington came after the 2005 schedule already had been set. Thus, Baltimore and Washington did not face one another at all in 2005; that season, the Orioles played the Phillies as their "natural rival" for the last time, while the Nationals played what would have been the Expos′ 2005 schedule, including six games against the Blue Jays – three of them at Toronto and three at Washington – that would have constituted the 2005 All-Canadian Series if the Expos had remained in Montreal. The 2006 schedule thus became the first one to include games between Baltimore and Washington as interleague "natural rivals," inaugurating the "Beltway Series."

Interleague play has ensured that the rivals have faced one another in each year since. From 2006 through 2012, the teams played each other six times a year, with one three-game series in each city and the two series taking place in May and June and separated by between three and six weeks. Since 2013, when a realignment took effect in Major League Baseball′s two leagues and their divisions, the schedule has varied according to whether the American League East and National League East are scheduled to play one another in interleague play, which occurs on a rotational basis once every three years. In seasons in which the two divisions do not meet, the Orioles and Nationals play four consecutive games, two in each city. Once every three years, in seasons in which the National League East and American League East face each other in interleague play (such as in 2015 and 2018), the Beltway Series consists of six games, with one three-game series played in each city, and the two series can be widely separated; in 2015, for example, the teams played in Baltimore in July but did not play in Washington until September.

Through 2018, the Orioles lead the Beltway Series in series wins, 7–2–4. The Orioles also lead in games won, 39–31.

Controversy fueling the rivalry

Controversy that fuels the Beltway Series rivalry revolves around various factors related to the unusual way in which the Washington, D.C. baseball market developed between the departure of the second Washington Senators team after the 1971 season and the arrival of the Nationals for the 2005 season because of the Orioles′ deep penetration of the Washington market during the era, as well as the circumstances under which the Expos relocated to Washington and the television deal MLB struck with the Orioles for coverage of Nationals games.

History of play between the cities

Both cities have a long history of professional baseball, beginning with the 1871 Washington Olympics and the 1882 American Association Baltimore Orioles, followed by the 1886 Washington Nationals of the National League. At the formation of the American League in 1901, franchises were placed in both cities, with the original Washington Senators and an earlier Baltimore Orioles team among the eight charter members. The Senators and Orioles played 39 times in those first two seasons, with the Orioles winning 22.[1] The original Orioles, however, moved to New York in 1903 and eventually became the New York Yankees.

Play between Baltimore and Washington resumed in 1954 when the St. Louis Browns relocated to Baltimore and became the current Orioles, once again giving both cities teams in the American League and regular meetings each season. This second period of play between Baltimore and Washington lasted through the 1971 season. The original Senators moved to Minnesota after the 1960 season and became the Minnesota Twins and were replaced by a second Senators franchise, which played from 1961 through the 1971 season. After the 1971 season, the second Senators franchise moved to Texas and became the Texas Rangers. The Orioles played 350 games combined against the two Senators franchises.[2] Overall, the Orioles won the series with the Senators 224–126, which included an 89–65 mark against the original Senators and a 135–61 record against the second Senators franchise.[3][4]

After the departure of the second Senators franchise, various efforts to return MLB to the Washington, D.C., area occurred, including a 1973 effort that almost relocated the San Diego Padres to Washington for the 1974 season, bids to purchase the Orioles in 1975 and the San Francisco Giants in 1976 and move them, a large "Baseball in Washington in ′87" promotion in 1987 advocating that a team to come to Washington, calls in 1991 and 1994 for MLB to place an expansion team in Washington, and efforts to buy the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1995 and the Houston Astros in 1996 for a move to Washington. None of these efforts bore fruit, and Washington, D.C., had no Major League Baseball team from 1972 through 2004.[5][6][7][8] Play between Baltimore and Washington did not resume until the advent of the Beltway Series in 2006.

Opposition to relocation by the Orioles

The Nationals–Orioles rivalry is influenced by circumstances surrounding the Nationals' founding. Peter Angelos, the owner of the Orioles, opposed the move of the Montreal Expos to Washington on the grounds that it would harm the Orioles financially, contending that the Orioles would lose fans to a Washington baseball team and that the Orioles alone had had a legal right to the entire Baltimore-Washington market since the departure of the second Senators team at the end of the 1971 season; in fact, the Orioles changed the team name on their away jerseys from "Baltimore" to "Orioles" in 1972 in an attempt to convince D.C. fans to adopt the Orioles as their "home" team. Ultimately, the owners of the other MLB teams approved the move to Washington in a 28–1 vote on December 3, 2004; Angelos cast the sole dissenting vote. The Orioles′ opposition to a baseball team in Washington created negative feelings among some Nationals fans toward the Orioles franchise, while some Orioles fans viewed the relocation of the Expos to Washington as an unwelcome intrusion that harmed the Orioles′ fan support and revenue. Even though the Nationals began play in 2005, the Orioles did not change the team name on their away jerseys back to "Baltimore" until 2009.

In the first four full seasons after baseball returned to Washington, the Nationals drew 9,127,252 fans to their games, compared to 8,892,951 fans attending Orioles games. The Nationals were a larger draw in 2005, while both teams were about the same in 2006 (the Orioles drew exactly 100 more fans that year), and in 2007 the Orioles were a larger draw by nearly 200,000 fans. In 2008 the momentum swung back the Nationals' way, with the Nationals outdrawing the Orioles by over 370,000 fans, due in part to the opening of Nationals Park.[9] In 2009, the Orioles again drew better, attracting almost 90,000 more fans than the Nationals, but from 2010 through 2017 the Nationals outdrew the Orioles annually, ranging from an advantage of over 95,000 fans in 2010 to one of over 496,000 fans in 2017, and during the eight seasons from 2010 through 2017 combined the Nationals drew over 2,200,000 more fans than the Orioles.[10][11] In 2018, as the Orioles struggled through a historically bad season, the Nationals outdrew the Orioles by over 965,000 fans.[12][13]

"There are no real baseball fans in D.C."

During a 2004 radio interview on WBAL in Baltimore a few months before MLB approved the relocation of the Expos in which he voiced his opposition to a team in Washington, Angelos declared that "there are no real baseball fans in D.C."[14][15] The comment has fueled resentment among some Washington baseball fans ever since, given their support for the Orioles before the Nationals began play in Washington[14] and their enthusiasm for the Nationals since their arrival. The Washington sports media regularly cite Angelos's comment when discussing subjects such as the Nationals' success in drawing fans to games in Washington,[15] attendance figures in Washington relative to those in Baltimore, and the number of Nationals fans who journey north to Baltimore for Beltway Series games between the teams.[16]

Television issues

The dispute with Angelos over the Expos′ move to Washington to become the Nationals was resolved when the Orioles were granted the right to broadcast Nationals games as well as Orioles games on their new regional sports television network, the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN), which is headquartered in Baltimore. The ramifications of the way in which Major League Baseball and Angeles created the new network and the agreements behind its creation has led to ill feeling among some fans.

In order to overcome Angelos′ opposition to the Expos′ move to Washington to become the Nationals and to head off any potential litigation over the matter, Major League Baseball (which owned the Expos/Nationals franchise from 2002 to 2006) and Angelos struck a deal in 2005 to create MASN. The deal gave the Orioles an initial 90 percent ownership stake in the new network, while the Nationals owned 10 percent. The agreement gave the Nationals an automatic increase in their ownership stake of one percent per year for 23 years, after which their share of the ownership would reach 33 percent and the annual increases would stop. Thereafter, the Orioles would own 67 percent of the network and the Nationals 33 percent of it in perpetuity. The Orioles also agreed to pay the Nationals $20 million per year through the 2011 season for the rights to televise Nationals games regardless of the actual fair market value of those rights, considered a good deal for the Nationals at the time because their fan base had not yet developed, their television coverage was sometimes spotty, and their likely lack of success on the field in their first few seasons would suppress their television viewership. The agreement required the Orioles and Nationals to renegotiate the annual amount the Orioles paid to broadcast National games for the 2012 through 2016 seasons, and then again for each five-season period after that. The agreement has left the Nationals as the only Major League Baseball team that does not own its own regional sports network.[17]

Broadcast practices

Major League Baseball and Angelos struck the deal to create MASN only days before the beginning of the 2005 season, before the completion of arrangements for Washington-area cable television providers to carry MASN′s two channels (MASN and MASN2). As a result of this, many D.C.-area fans initially did not receive the new network via their cable television providers and were unable to watch most Nationals games for some time during the Nationals′ first season, leading to frustration with the network among Nationals fans. Furthermore, some Nationals fans contend that the majority ownership stake that Angelos and the Orioles hold in MASN leads the network to exhibit a bias in covering the Orioles compared to the Nationals, such as displaying the scores of Beltway Series games as "Orioles vs. Washington" – which critics see as sending a subtle message that the Orioles represent the entire Baltimore-Washington area, while the Nationals represent only Washington – as opposed to a more neutral "Orioles vs. Nationals" or "Baltimore vs. Washington."

Broadcast rights fees

When the amount MASN pays annually to the Nationals to broadcast Nationals games first came up for renegotiation in 2012, another source of discontent arose between some Orioles and Nationals fans. The Nationals asked for MASN to increase its annual payment from $20 million to $118 million per year[17] for the 2012 through 2016 seasons, while the Orioles countered with an offer averaging $39.5 million per year,[17] and MASN began paying the Nationals that amount in 2012[17] pending agreement between MASN and the Nationals on a fee. When MASN and the Nationals could not agree on an annual amount, the Orioles and Nationals submitted the matter to Major League Baseball′s Revenue-Sharing Definitions Committee for arbitration. The committee issued a written decision in 2014 that MASN should pay the Nationals an average of $59 million per year for 2012 through 2016.[17] Claiming the decision was biased against the Orioles, MASN pursued litigation on behalf of the Orioles and itself to have the committee′s decision vacated.[17] With the matter tied up in the courts, the entire 2012-2016 period went by without a resolution of the matter,[17] and the teams missed the next required renegotiation for the seasons from 2017 through 2021. The Nationals seek payment from MASN of over $100 million in fees each for the 2012-2016 and 2017-2021 periods,[18] and some Nationals fans resent the delay in MASN increasing the rights fees it pays their team because of the impact it has on the Nationals′ revenues and the Nationals′ ability to sign expensive free agents.

The Washington Post reported that the animosity between the teams over the television rights fee dispute may have played a role in the Orioles postponing two games of a three-game home series against the Chicago White Sox, playing the third game without allowing fans to attend, and moving a subsequent series with the Tampa Bay Rays originally scheduled to be played in Baltimore to Tampa Bay due to security concerns during the civil unrest in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray in April 2015. The Nationals were in the middle of a long road trip at the time, so Nationals Park in Washington was available on short notice as a nearby venue that could have hosted Orioles games, and Commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred had suggested that possibility earlier in the week.[19][20] An Orioles spokesman would not comment on whether the teams' dispute affected Orioles′ rescheduling decisions, but another source with the team told The Washington Post that it had. The Nationals said that neither the Orioles nor MLB approached them about making Nationals Park available to the Orioles, and the Nationals never made the offer themselves.[19]

"O!"

The tradition of yelling "O!" during the line "Oh say does that star-spangled banner yet wave" during the singing of the national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner," is a Baltimore Orioles tradition. Over the years that Washington had no baseball team and the Orioles penetrated the Washington market (1972–2004), it became a staple of Washington-area sporting events as well. Yelling "O!" during the national anthem has caused controversy when used at Washington sports events in the past, and the yelling of "O!" during the anthem at Nationals games, even when the Nationals were not hosting the Orioles, reignited such controversy because some Nationals fans resent importing Orioles traditions into Nationals baseball culture and some sports fans view the shouting of "O!" during the national anthem at any sporting event as disrespectful of the American flag.[21][22] Other fans disagree, arguing that many fans never understood or have forgotten the connection of "O!" with the Orioles and that shouting "O!" during the anthem has become an established tradition that is valid at any sporting event anywhere in the Baltimore-Washington region and does not necessarily signify support for the Baltimore Orioles.[22]

Angelos "kind enough to let them have a team here"

After a Beltway Series game in Washington on July 7, 2014, Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg lamented the high proportion of Orioles fans in the stands at Nationals Park.[23] Speaking to the press before the next day′s game between the clubs, Orioles manager Buck Showalter responded by saying, "“You realize how big an area this [Washington] was for the Orioles before our owner [Peter Angelos] was kind enough to let them have a team here [in Washington].”[24][25] For some Nationals fans and members of the Washington sports media, Showalter′s comment rankled, as they felt that Angelos had exhibited no kindness at all toward baseball in Washington either before or during the Expos-Nationals relocation process or in terms of the MASN television deal he struck with MLB.[24] Writing in The Washington Times, sports columnist Thom Loverro described Showalter′s comment as a "foolish insult,"[25] and took the matter further, arguing that, from a historical perspective, the Orioles organization owed a great deal to the kindness of Washington baseball owners and fans, as the Orioles might never have existed if the owners of the original Washington Senators franchise, the family of Clark Griffith, had not agreed to allow the St. Louis Browns to relocate for the 1954 season to Baltimore, which was considered the Senators′ territory at the time.[25] Loverro added that as owner of the Orioles, Washington lawyer Edward Bennett Williams had not moved the Orioles to Washington, as many had expected after he bought the Orioles in 1979, had done much to encourage Washingtonians to support the Orioles, and had been instrumental in securing approval of the construction of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, and that the Orioles had enjoyed much of their financial success over the years because of the support of fans from Washington.[25] The Baltimore press reported Showalter′s comment differently; for example, Alejandro Zuniga wrote in The Baltimore Sun that the MASN deal had made up to Angelos and the Orioles for their loss of business when the Expos relocated into the Orioles′ territory, and that the MASN deal had not prevented "plenty of Orioles fans from converting into supporters of their new, more local ballclub [i.e., the Nationals]."[23]

2017 rainout

With Baltimore leading the series two games to one, the final game of the 2017 Beltway Series was scheduled for May 11 at Nationals Park, but it rained for much of the day and the Nationals postponed the game based on a prediction that rain would continue well into the evening. The game was rescheduled for June 8. In pregame comments to the media on June 8, Orioles manager Buck Showalter noted that the sun had been shining by the time the Orioles' team bus left Nationals Park on May 11 and that the game could have been played. The Orioles, he added, would have played with a healthy lineup that evening that included center fielder Adam Jones and third baseman Manny Machado; Dylan Bundy, the Orioles′ best starter, would have been on the mound. In contrast, the Nationals had planned for A. J. Cole, who had had only mixed success at the major-league level over the preceding three years, to make a spot start on May 11. By June 8, Jones and Machado both were injured, and Bundy was not the scheduled starter. Sports reporters took away a clear impression that the Orioles believed that the Nationals had unnecessarily cancelled the game so as to avoid an unfavorable pitching matchup and facing the Orioles′ best lineup. The Nationals won the June 8 game to clinch a 2–2 Beltway Series tie for the season.[26]

Asked about the Orioles′ interpretation of the postponement, Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo responded that the weather forecast for May 11 had called — incorrectly, as it turned out — for rain to persist well into the evening and that Showalter had been in full agreement on May 11 that the game should be postponed. Rizzo added that the Orioles had refused to play on the teams′ next mutual off date, May 15, necessitating that they play on June 8, and that the June 8 date actually was less favorable to the Nationals, who gave up an off-day after a 10-day, three-city trip to the United States West Coast, than to the Orioles, who were just completing a nine-game homestand in nearby Baltimore. Given all of this, Rizzo said that the Orioles should "quit whining."[26]

Questioning whether a rivalry exists

The idea that a rivalry exists between the Nationals and Orioles is itself controversial. Despite the marketing of the Beltway Series as a "Battle of the Beltways" and the animosity some Baltimore and Washington baseball fans feel toward one another′s teams and cities, some observers – both sports journalists and fans – question whether a Nationals-Orioles rivalry truly exists, arguing that it is a "manufactured" rivalry born of the media, marketing, interleague play, and coincidental geographical proximity rather than history or the significance of the games, and that the Beltway Series lacks the meaning of true rivalries found elsewhere in MLB.[27][28][29][30]

Non-competitive history

Sports rivalries generally arise between teams that are familiar with one another, play one another frequently, and have a history of parity and of meeting one another in significant games,[31] but this has rarely, if ever, occurred between Baltimore and Washington MLB teams. During the years from 1954 to 1971, when the Orioles played the original Senators and then the expansion Senators regularly in the American League, the Orioles enjoyed great success, while the two Senators teams between them managed only one winning season, in 1969. This unbalanced competition militated against any real rivalry springing up between the teams, as games between them tended to be insignificant and dominated by Baltimore.[28] Moreover, memories of this era have faded with time as Baltimore- and Washington-area fans age and thanks to the transient nature of the Washington-area population, where the dominance of United States Government employment results in significant turnovers in population as people arrive to participate in government activities, then leave as political circumstances change.[30]

During the early years of the Beltway Series from 2006 to 2011, neither the Nationals or the Orioles fielded competitive teams, and this meant that the editions of the Beltway Series during those seasons carried no real importance in terms of either team′s prospects for winning seasons. Since 2012, when both the Nationals and Orioles began to achieve real success, fan interest in both teams has increased and led to greater attendance, but no particularly significant game has arisen as part of the Beltway Series.[27][28][32][29]

Two-team fans

The Baltimore and Washington sports markets also call into question the extent to which fans view a rivalry as existing. Although relatively few Baltimore-area baseball fans appear to support the Nationals, many Washington-area fans adopted the Orioles as their "home team" during the 33 seasons (1972–2004) Washington had no MLB team, and this penetration of the Washington sports market by the Orioles has resulted in many Washington-area MLB fans continuing to root for the Orioles, either instead of or in addition to the Nationals. Supporting both teams is made easier by their membership in different leagues and the rarity of their meetings compared to the number of games they play against divisional and league rivals. For fans who support both teams, the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area constitutes a two-team market in which they root for one team in each league; to such fans, the Beltway Series is a matter of interest because it involves both of their "home" teams, rather than their home team playing against a disliked crosstown rival. The Beltway Series tends to draw well in both cities, but this does not necessarily indicate that fans are attending to watch a chapter in a true rivalry between teams with a history of meaningful competition or animosity; many appear to view the series merely as an annual opportunity for low-key, good-natured competition between the teams and their fans for "bragging rights" in the Baltimore-Washington region.[33][28][32]

Players' attitudes

With the exception of a September 2015 game at Nationals Park in which Nationals pitcher Jonathan Papelbon hit Orioles infielder Manny Machado with a pitch, resulting in an exchange of words between Machado and Papelbon, both dugouts emptying, and Papelbon′s ejection from the game, no particular ill feeling has existed on the field between the teams. Players of both teams appear to view the teams in their own divisions – which they play 19 times each per season – as their rivals, and they attach no particular significance to the comparatively short annual Beltway Series, which merely pits them briefly against a team in a different league that they otherwise would not play unless they met in the World Series.[33][29]

Television broadcast

The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN), which owns the rights to broadcast both Orioles and Nationals games, televised the 2006 and 2007 Beltway Series in a conventional format, with each team′s broadcasters covering the game for separate audiences via separate telecasts. From 2008[34] through 2013, however, MASN televised the Beltway Series using an unconventional concept in which mixed Orioles-Nationals broadcast booths covered each game. In the mixed-booth concept, the two teams′ play-by-play announcers – Jim Hunter for the Orioles and Bob Carpenter for the Nationals – alternated on play-by-play during each game and color analysts and sideline reporters from both teams worked together in the booth and on the field throughout each game.[35] The concept was based on the premise that the Orioles and Nationals were both "home" teams for the combined Baltimore-Washington area, and that fans in both cities followed and supported both teams, were familiar with both sets of broadcasters, and would enjoy coverage of Beltway Series games by broadcasters from both of "their" teams working together in the same telecast. In 2010 news releases about that year's Beltway Series, MASN referred to its "popular mixed booth broadcast,"[34][36] and on May 29, 2013, Hunter started a Beltway Series broadcast from Oriole Park by saying "It′s your Nats, it’s your Orioles, going head-to-head on your network."[37] With the mixed booth in use, each Beltway Series game was simulcast on both MASN cable channels (MASN and MASN2).

By 2013, fan feedback suggested that the unusual mixed-booth arrangement was overwhelmingly unpopular with both Orioles and Nationals fans,[35][37] and in February 2014 MASN announced an end to it. In a February 26, 2014, statement announcing the change, MASN said, "The combined booth is an idea that’s run its course, and with both teams possessing strong individual identities and playoff aspirations for 2014 the decision was made to give fans what they’ve been clamoring for – their individual team’s broadcast partners calling the action as they would for any other game."[35][38] Since 2014, MASN′s Orioles and Nationals broadcast teams have covered each Beltway Series game separately, with the home team′s broadcast televised on MASN and the visiting team's broadcast on MASN2.[35]

Club success

Team Seasons World Series titles League pennants Division titles Wild card berths Playoff appearances World Series appearances All-time regular season record Win percentage
Baltimore Orioles (1954–2017) 64 3 6 9 2 12 6 5,205–4,951 .513
Washington Nationals (2005–2017) 13 0 0 4 0 4 0 1,047–1,057 .498
Combined 77 3 6 13 2 16 6 6,252–6,008 .510

Beltway Series results

Season Season series at Baltimore Orioles
WSH-BAL		 at Washington Nationals
BAL-WSH		 Notes
2006 Tie 3–3 1-2; 2-3; 9-5 5-1; 3-8; 1-3 First meeting of Nationals and Orioles
First meeting of the franchises since an Expos-Orioles interleague series in 2001
First meeting of Baltimore and Washington MLB teams since 1971
2007 Nationals 4–2 7-4; 9-6(11); 3-1 5-4; 3-2(11); 3-4
2008 Tie 3–3 3-5; 5-6; 2-1 2-4; 9-1; 2-3(12) Nationals Park opens
2009 Orioles 4–2 1-11; 3-6; 5-3 4-2(12); 2-1; 5-8
2010 Orioles 4–2 6-7; 5-6; 3-4 5-3; 6-7; 3-4(10)
2011 Tie 3–3 17-5; 3-8; 1-2 4-8; 2-4; 7-4
2012 Orioles 4–2 1-2; 3-1; 1-2 2-1(11); 6-5; 3-9 Both teams make playoffs; first playoff appearance for the Nationals
2013 Orioles 3–1 6-9; 0-2 6-2; 3-9 Series changed to four-game format with two in each city
except in years the AL East plays the NL East (2015, 2018, etc.)
2014 Orioles 3–1 6-2; 3-4 8-2; 7-3 Both teams win their respective divisions
2015 Orioles 4–2 2-3; 7-4; 3-2 4-1; 4-3; 5-4
2016 Orioles 3–1 3-4; 1-8 10-8; 0-4
2017 Tie 2–2 4-6; 4-5(12) 6-7; 1-6
2018 Nationals 5–1 6-0; 3-2; 2-0 7-9; 3-0; 2-4
2019 First four-game series in which the four games will not be played consecutively.
Overall Orioles 39-31 at Baltimore Orioles
Orioles, 22-13		 at Washington Nationals
Nationals, 18-17

Game log

Legend
 Nationals win, series lead, overall lead, or streak
 Orioles win, series lead, overall lead, or streak
 Tie in series or overall record
 Postponement


Game Log (Baltimore 39–31)

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Head-to-Head results for Washington Senators vs. Baltimore Orioles from 1901 to 1902". Baseball-Reference.com. 2016. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Anonymous, "O's top Nats in first Baltimore-D.C. major-league game since '71," Associated Press, May 20, 2006
  3. ↑ "Head-to-Head results for Washington Senators vs. Baltimore Orioles from 1954 to 1960". Baseball-Reference.com. 2016. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Head-to-Head results for Washington Senators vs. Baltimore Orioles from 1961 to 1971". Baseball-Reference.com. 2016. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  5. ↑ Schmuck, Peter, "Owners Try to Prevent Pirate Move," baltimoresun.com, September 14, 1995.
  6. ↑ Jaffe, Harry, "How D.C. Got Baseball Back," washingtonian.com, April 1, 2005.
  7. ↑ Anonymous, "Baseball in Washington: Our National Pastime Returns to Our Nation′s Capital," andrewclem.com, November 27, 2011, 13:59:30.
  8. ↑ Russell, Jake, "San Diego Padres were once so close to moving to D.C. they had uniforms and everything," washingtonpost.com, June 16, 2016.
  9. ↑ "MLB Attendance Report—2008". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
  10. ↑ Baseball Almanac: Baltimore Orioles Attendance Data
  11. ↑ Baseball Almanac: Washington Nationals Attendance Data
  12. ↑ 2018 Washington Nationals Schedule at Baseball Reference
  13. ↑ 2018 Baltimore Orioles Schedule at Baseball Reference
  14. 1 2 Fisher, Marc, "Of Shaved Ice, Barking Dogs And Baseball," The Washington Post, July 27, 2004.
  15. 1 2 Boswell, Thomas, "Nationals haven’t won anything, but fans prove D.C. is a good sports town," washingtonpost.com, May 24, 2015.
  16. ↑ Boswell, Thomas, "The Nationals are getting the best of the Orioles in a rivalry that didn’t have to be bitter," washingtonpost;com, May 28, 2018, 7:57 p.m. EDT.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Summer, Avi, "The Cold Stove: How the Television Rights Dispute Between the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals Impacts Offseason Decisions," thesportsesquires.com, January 22, 2018.
  18. ↑ Stempel, Jonathan, "Washington Nationals get win over Baltimore Orioles in TV rights dispute," FReuters, July 13, 2017, 3:50 p.m.
  19. 1 2 Sviruga, Barry; Kilgore, Adam (April 28, 2015). "Orioles to host home game against the White Sox in an empty stadium". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  20. ↑ Connolly, Dan (April 27, 2015). "O's-White Sox series might move out of city". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  21. ↑ Zillgitt, Jeff (May 2, 2005). "Nationals, fans breathe life into baseball-starved D.C". USA Today.
  22. 1 2 Steinberg, Dan (December 15, 2006). "Should the National Anthem "Oh!" be Retired?". Washingtonpost.com. Archived from the original on May 23, 2011.
  23. 1 2 Zuniga, Alejandro, "Buck Showalter talks about Orioles fans taking over Nationals Park," baltimoresun.com, July 9, 2014, 7:30 a.m. EDT.
  24. 1 2 Allen, Scott, "Buck Showalter says Peter Angelos was ‘kind enough to let’ the District have a baseball team," washingtonpost.com, July 9, 2014.
  25. 1 2 3 4 [https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jul/10/suck-buck-showalter-could-use-history-lesson/ Loverro, Thom, "Suck-up Buck Showalter needs history lesson"," washingtontimes.com, July 10, 2014.
  26. 1 2 3 4 Svrluga, Barry, "Mike Rizzo to Orioles on rainout gripes: ‘Quit whining’," washingtonpost.com, June 9, 2017.
  27. 1 2 Stetka, Andrew, "Word on the Street: A “Fake” Rivalry, but a Fun One Nonetheless," eutawstreetreport.com, May 8, 2017.
  28. 1 2 3 4 Lefrak, Mikaela, "Beltway Series Time: Does A Washington-Baltimore Baseball Rivalry Really Exist?," wamu.org, August 22, 2016.
  29. 1 2 3 Anonymous, "OPINION: Let’s Cut It Out With This Fake Nationals/Orioles ‘Rivalry’," Baltimore.cbslocal.com, May 8, 2017, 3:23 p.m. EDT.
  30. 1 2 Steinberg, Dan, "Why do we care if Nats fans and O’s fans hate each other?," washingtonpost.com, August 23, 2016.
  31. ↑ Markham, Art, "The psychology of sports rivalries," statesman.ccom, December 31, 2011, 7:14 p.m. CST.
  32. 1 2 Cahoon, Scott, "Are the Washington Nationals the Orioles’ Biggest Rival?," birdswatcher.com, 2015.
  33. 1 2 "Are the Nationals and the Orioles rivals?". The Nats Blog. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  34. 1 2 "′Battle of the Beltways′ Returns with Combined Talent Team," masnsports.com, May 19, 2010 3:44 p.m. EDT.
  35. 1 2 3 4 Steinberg, Dan, "MASN announces end of split booths for Orioles-Nats games," washingtonpost.com, February 27, 2014.
  36. ↑ Anonymous, "MASN’s Mixed Booth Broadcast Resumes This Weekend," masnsports.com, June 24, 2010 3:46 p.m. EDT.
  37. 1 2 Steinberg, Dan, "On the MASN split booths," washingtonpost.com, May 30, 2013.
  38. ↑ Kerzel, Pete, "For Nats-O’s interleague games, no more combined MASN broadcast teams," masnsports.com, February 26, 2014, 2:00 p.m. EST.
  39. ↑ Anonymous, "Soriano homers in third straight game to lift Nationals," Associated Press, May 21, 2006.
  40. ↑ Anonymous, "Nats' Hernandez snaps seven-start winless streak," Associated Press, May 21, 2006.
  41. ↑ Anonymous, "Lopez dominates in O's narrow win vs. struggling Nats," Associated Press, June 23, 2006.
  42. 1 2 Anonymous, "Hernandez lifts O's in ninth after three hours of rain delays," Associated Press, June 24, 2006.
  43. ↑ Anonymous, "Hernandez helps Nationals top O's to halt skid at five," Associated Press, June 25, 2006.
  44. 1 2 Anonymous, "Orioles hold off Nats, snap five-game skid," Associated Press, May 19, 2007.
  45. ↑ Anonymous, "Payton lifts Orioles over Nationals in 11th inning," Associated Press, May 20, 2007.
  46. 1 2 Anonymous, "Bedard winless in last 6 starts as Nats jump on Orioles' bullpen," Associated Press, May 20, 2007.
  47. ↑ Anonymous, "Cordero second-youngest in MLB history to get 100 saves," Associated Press, June 12, 2007.
  48. 1 2 3 Anonymous, "Lopez hits bases-loaded triple in 11th, sends Nats past O's," Associated Press, June 14, 2007.
  49. 1 2 Anonymous, "Streaking Nats complete three-game sweep of O's," Associated Press, June 14, 2007.
  50. ↑ Anonymous, "Mora's double in 5th allows Orioles to pull away from Nats," Associated Press, May 16, 2008.
  51. 1 2 Anonymous, "Burres' strong outing, Markakis' homer lift Orioles to fourth straight win," Associated Press, May 17, 2008.
  52. 1 2 Anonymous, "Lannan solid on mound, Guzman homers in Nats' victory," Associated Press, May 18, 2008.
  53. 1 2 Anonymous, "Record crowd in Washington watches Nats pull away from O's," Associated Press, June 28, 2008.
  54. ↑ Anonymous, "Record crowd in Washington watches Nats pull away from O's," Associated Press, June 29, 2008.
  55. 1 2 Anonymous, "Nats' Belliard snaps 0-for-13 slump with winning HR in 12th," Associated Press, June 29, 2008.
  56. 1 2 Anonymous, "Baez's first MLB hit, 2 shutout innings lift O's past Nats in 12th," Associated Press, May 22, 2009.
  57. 1 2 Anonymous, "Huff's pinch-hit triple in 7th carries O's to victory," Associated Press, May 24, 2009.
  58. ↑ Orioles vs. Nationals – Box Score – May 24,2009 – ESPN
  59. 1 2 3 Anonymous, "Dunn powers Nats with 2 HRs in win over O's," Associated Press, May 24, 2009.
  60. 1 2 Anonymous, "Bergesen backed by Mora's four RBIs as Orioles drub Nationals," Associated Press, June 26, 2009.
  61. ↑ Anonymous, "Bullpen performance saves Orioles against Nationals," Associated Press, June 27, 2009.
  62. 1 2 Anonymous, "Dunn's mammoth shot helps Nats avoid sweep," Associated Press, June 28, 2009.
  63. 1 2 3 Anonymous, "O's best Nats in Beltway opener; Hernandez picks up first win since August '09," Associated Press, May 22, 2010.
  64. 1 2 3 Anonymous, "Dunn caps sixth-inning rally as Nats edge Orioles despite Morgan's gaffe," Associated Press, May 22, 2010.
  65. 1 2 Anonymous, "Nationals' Willingham homers in 10th to put away Orioles," Associated Press, May 23, 2010.
  66. 1 2 3 Anonymous, "Season-high four errors doom Nationals vs. Orioles," Associated Press, June 26, 2010.
  67. 1 2 3 4 Anonymous, "Orioles pick up first series win in last 14 attempts," Associated Press, June 26, 2010.
  68. 1 2 Anonymous, "Orioles notch first sweep in nearly two months," Associated Press, June 27, 2010.
  69. 1 2 3 Anonymous, "Nationals hit team record six home runs in rout of Orioles," Associated Press, May 21, 2011.
  70. 1 2 Anonymous, "O's handle Nationals as Jeremy Guthrie wins 1st since Opening Day," Associated Press, May 21, 2011.
  71. ↑ Anonymous, "Vlad Guerrero rips 2-run HR in 7th to lead O's past Nationals," Associated Press, May 22, 2011.
  72. 1 2 Anonymous, "Nationals outlast Orioles for seventh straight win," Associated Press, June 18, 2011.
  73. 1 2 3 Anonymous, "Nationals take out Orioles to win 8th in a row," Associated Press, June 18, 2011.
  74. 1 2 3 Anonymous, "Nats' win streak ends as Orioles' Chris Jakubauskas gets win, 1st career hits," Associated Press, June 19, 2011.
  75. 1 2 Anonymous, "Nick Markakis homers in 11th to lift O's over Nats," Associated Press, May 19, 2012.
  76. 1 2 Anonymous, "Orioles ride early outburst to shake off skidding Nationals," Associated Press, May 20, 2012.
  77. 1 2 3 Anonymous, "Stephen Strasburg stars, then exits Nats' rout with biceps tightness," Associated Press, May 20, 2012.
  78. ↑ Orioles vs. Nationals – Box Score – May 20, 2012 – ESPN
  79. 1 2 Anonymous, "Jason Hammel fans career-high 10 batters to stay hot," Associated Press, June 23, 2012.
  80. 1 2 Anonymous, "Edwin Jackson handcuffs Orioles as Nats pick up victory," Associated Press, June 24, 2012.
  81. 1 2 3 Anonymous, "O's ride Matt Wieters' 2-run homer, game-ending throwout to win," Associated Press, June 24, 2012.
  82. 1 2 3 Anonymous, "Jason Hammel shuts down Nationals as Orioles win series opener," Associated Press, May 29, 2013.
  83. 1 2 3 Anonymous, "Adam LaRoche hits 2 HRs, drives in 4 runs as Nats roll past O's," Associated Press, May 29, 2013.
  84. 1 2 3 Anonymous, "O's overcome three home runs by Ryan Zimmerman, top Nats," Associated Press, May 30, 2013.
  85. 1 2 3 Anonymous, "Freddy Garcia, Orioles get best of Dan Haren, Nationals," Associated Press, May 31, 2013.
  86. 1 2 3 Anonymous, "Chris Davis homers in 11th to fuel Orioles' 6-run surge past Nationals," Associated Press, July 8, 2014.
  87. ↑ Anonymous, "Nationals hit 3 HRs in 6-2 win over Orioles," Associated Press, July 9, 2014.
  88. 1 2 Anonymous, "Pearce HR helps Orioles squeeze past Nationals 4-3," Associated Press, July 10, 2014.
  89. 1 2 3 4 Anonymous, "Orioles bats come alive late to rally past Nationals," Associated Press, August 4, 2014.
  90. ↑ Anonymous, "Schoop's 9th-inning HR carries Orioles past Nationals 3-2," Associated Press, July 10, 2015.
  91. 1 2 Anonymous, "Harper, Espinosa HRs carry Nationals over Orioles 7-4," Associated Press, July 11, 2015.
  92. 1 2 3 Anonymous, "Scherzer allows 4 hits as Nationals beat Orioles 3-2," Associated Press, July 12, 2015.
  93. 1 2 Anonymous, "Orioles-Nationals series opener postponed due to rain," Associated Press, September 21, 2015.
  94. 1 2 3 Anonymous, "Jimenez gets 100th career victory, Orioles beat Nationals," Associated Press, September 23, 2015.
  95. 1 2 3 4 Anonymous, "Manny Machado rails against Papelbon after HBP; Harper expects retaliation," Associated Press, September 24, 2015.
  96. 1 2 Wager, James, "Jonathan Papelbon hits Manny Machado, gets ejected and benches clear," washingtonpost.com, September 24, 2015.
  97. 1 2 Anonymous, "Wieters leads O's past Nats, hitless Harper 5-4 for sweep," Associated Press, September 24, 2015.
  98. 1 2 Anonymous, "Trumbo, Schoop hit HRs to help Orioles beat Nationals 4-3," Associated Press, August 22, 2016.
  99. 1 2 Anonymous, "Trumbo, Schoop hit HRs to help Orioles beat Nationals 4-3," Associated Press, August 22, 2016.
  100. 1 2 3 4 5 Anonymous, "O's closer Zach Britton allows first ER in 43 appearances in win over Nats," Associated Press, August 25, 2016.
  101. 1 2 Anonymous, "Scherzer's arm, Harper's bat power Nats past Orioles 4-0," Associated Press, August 26, 2016.
  102. 1 2 Anonymous, "Orioles hit 3 HRs in 1st inning and beat Nationals 6-4," Associated Press, May 8, 2017.
  103. 1 2 3 Anonymous, "Trumbo single in 12th gives Orioles 5-4 win over Nationals," Associated Press, May 10, 2017.
  104. ↑ Anonymous, "Wieters' 2-run single gives Nationals 7-6 win over Orioles," Associated Press, May 11, 2017.
  105. 1 2 Anonymous, "Ross fans 12, Drew homers as Nationals beat Orioles 6-1," Associated Press, June 8, 2017.
  106. 1 2 3 4 Anonymous, "Nationals cruise past Orioles 6-0 for 4th straight win," Associated Press, May 28, 2018.
  107. 1 2 3 Anonymous, "Harper's 17th HR sparks Nationals past Orioles 3-2," Associated Press, May 28, 2018.
  108. 1 2 3 4 5 Anonymous, "Scherzer, Harper carry Nationals past Orioles 2-0 for sweep," Associated Press, May 30, 2018.
  109. 1 2 3 Castillo, Jorge, "Nationals get things in order against Orioles," washingtonpost.com, June 19, 2018, 10:48 p.m. EDT Retrieved June 20, 2018
  110. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Anonyous, "Turner goes 4 for 4 to help Nationals beat Orioles 9-7," Associated Press, June 19, 2018 10:32 p.m. EDT Retrieved June 19, 2018
  111. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Anpnymous, "Orioles weather long rain delay in 3-0 win over Nationals," Associated Press, June 21, 2018, 1:35 a.m. EDT Retrieved June 21, 2018
  112. 1 2 3 Anonymous, "Soto's 2-run double carries Nationals past Orioles 4-2," Associated Press, June 21, 2018, 10:00 p.m. EDT Retrieved June 21, 2018
  113. ↑ Reddington, Patrick, "Nationals 4-2 over Orioles for 2 of 3 in D.C. on a Juan Soto two-run double in the 8th...," federalbaseball.com, June 21, 2018, 9:49 p.m. EDT Retrieved June 22, 2018
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