Nationals Park

Nationals Park

The Sea of Red
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Location	1500 South Capitol Street SE Washington, D.C. 20003
Coordinates
Public transit	Navy Yard–Ballpark Green Line
Parking	14 sanctioned parking lots or garages
Owner	Events DC
Operator	Washington Nationals Baseball Club LLC.
Capacity	41,313
Record attendance	45,966, October 12, 2012 vs (Cardinals)
Field size	Left Field - 337 feet (103 m) Left-Center - 377 feet (115 m) Center Field - 402 feet (123 m) Right-Center - 370 feet (113 m) Right Field - 335 feet (102 m)
Surface	Kentucky Bluegrass
Construction
Broke ground	May 4, 2006
Opened	March 22, 2008 (college game) March 29, 2008 (exhibition game) March 30, 2008 (Opening Day)
Construction cost	$693 million ($762 million in 2024 dollars)
Architect	Populous (then HOK Sport) Devrouax & Purnell Architects - Planners
Project manager	Turner/Brailsford & Dunlavey/McKissack & McKissack
Structural engineer	ReStl/Thornton Tomasetti
Services engineer	M-E Engineers/JVP Engineers/SIM-G Technologies
General contractor	Clark/Hunt/Smoot Joint Venture
Tenants
Washington Nationals (MLB) (2008–present)

Nationals Park is a baseball park located along the Anacostia River in the Navy Yard neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It is the home ballpark for the Washington Nationals, the city's Major League Baseball franchise. When the Nationals franchise relocated to Washington, D.C., they temporarily played at RFK Stadium until Nationals Park was completed. It is the first LEED-certified green major professional sports stadium in the United States. The facility hosted the 2008 season's first game (in North America), when the Nationals hosted the Atlanta Braves on March 30, 2008 and the first game played there was a collegiate baseball game.

The ballpark, designed by HOK Sport (now known as Populous) and Devrouax & Purnell Architects and Planners, was originally to cost $611 million but eventually cost $693 million to build, with an additional $84.2 million spent on transportation, art, and infrastructure upgrades to support the stadium for a total cost of $783.9 million. The stadium originally seated 41,888 fans, but some seats from various parts of the stadium have been removed since its opening to reduce the capacity to 41,546 in 2010, down to 41,487 in 2012, and to 41,418 in 2013. The Washington Monument and the Capitol building are visible from the upper decks on the first base side of the field.

Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.

The park's name echoes the original name of the early-1900s ballpark used by the Washington Senators/Nationals, which was called National Park until it was rebuilt and renamed Griffith Stadium. The name was originally a temporary name, as the Lerner Family had planned to sell its naming rights. When a strong bid never surfaced, the team chose to stick with Nationals Park. The stadium and its grounds are owned by Events DC.

Nationals Park Panorama vs. Cubs

On April 6, 2015, Nationals Park was chosen to host the 2018 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. It will be the first All-Star Game to be played in Washington, D.C. since 1969. Nationals Park is also home to the traditional Presidents Race during the fourth inning.

Location and transportation

Nationals Park is located in the Southeast quadrant of Washington, D.C. on a block of South Capitol Street called Taxation Without Representation Street (a main artery separating Southeast from Southwest Washington) at the Anacostia River waterfront. The ballpark is accessible from I-395 via the Southwest Freeway, and from I-295 via the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, which carries South Capitol Street across the Anacostia River. The Douglass Bridge was renovated so that South Capitol Street could continue at ground level past the stadium (it was previously 15 feet (4.6 m) above ground level).

The main method of transportation to the stadium is on the Washington Metro system. The stadium is one block from the Navy Yard – Ballpark station on the Green Line. The station is located near the park's center field entrance (on the opposite side of Capitol Street SE from the main entrance) and is heavily used by fans on game day. Prior to the ballpark's opening, the station's ballpark entrance underwent a major expansion, with the relocation of the farecard mezzanine to street level, along with the addition of an extra escalator and elevator to handle the crowds.

Parking near the stadium is limited. There are a total of 14 Nationals Park-sanctioned parking lots or garages, with a small number of third-party lots also in the vicinity of the stadium. During the 2008 and 2009 seasons, the Nationals ran a free shuttle service (dubbed the "Nats Express") from parking lots at RFK Stadium to Nationals Park on game days. However, the team canceled the service after the 2009 season.

Several Metrobus routes and the DC Circulator's Union Station-Navy Yard Route serve the park. Various other transit options include a water taxi service from Alexandria, Virginia and Georgetown.

Cyclists are encouraged to ride to the stadium and are offered free valet bicycle parking. Garage C, located next to the ticket windows at the corner of 1st and N Street, houses a free bike valet service where fans are invited to store their bikes for the duration of the game. There are also 110 red bike racks on the sidewalks that create the perimeter of the ballpark.

History

Construction

Nationals Park, under construction in September 2007, with the U.S. Capitol seen in the background

Financing for the stadium was expected to be provided by a banking syndicate led by Deutsche Bank. However, finalization of the financing deal stalled due to complex negotiations among the city government, MLB as owner of the team, and the bank. The bank requested a letter of credit or comparable financial guarantee against stadium rent to cover risks such as poor attendance or terrorism. The requested guarantee was $24 million, with the city requesting that MLB provide the guarantee. The financing situation was since solved and construction began in May 2006.

The site of Nationals Park was chosen by Mayor Anthony Williams as the most viable of four possibilities for a ballpark. The ballpark's design was released to the public at a press conference on March 14, 2006. Ground breaking was in early 2006. With an ambitious construction schedule of fewer than two years to complete the stadium, a design-build approach was selected to allow the architects and builders to work in concert with one another. Ronnie Strompf, the project superintendent, coordinated the efforts of numerous subcontractors on a daily basis.

Seasons

The 2008 Washington Nationals season was the team's first in Nationals Park. The George Washington University (GW) and the Nationals announced in February 2008 that the GW Colonials baseball team would play the first game in Nationals Park on March 22, 2008. GW played Saint Joseph's University in an afternoon game and the hometown Colonials had a 9–4 victory over Saint Joseph's.

The Washington Nationals defeated the Baltimore Orioles, 3–0, in an exhibition game on March 29, 2008, in their first game in the ballpark.

The Nationals opened the 2008 MLB season in Nationals Park with a rare one-game series against the Atlanta Braves on March 30, which served as the first official MLB game at the park. True to tradition, President George W. Bush threw out the ceremonial first pitch. The Nationals defeated the Braves 3–2 with a walk-off home run from Ryan Zimmerman, giving the Nationals their first opening day win since moving to Washington. Chipper Jones of the Braves hit the first batted ball and first home run, while the Nationals' Cristian Guzman got the first base hit. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Zimmerman's game-winning home run was the third walk-off home run in major-league history to be hit in the first MLB game played at a stadium. The game was the most-watched MLB opening night in the history of ESPN.

In their first season at Nationals Park, the Nationals finished with a league-worst record of 59-102. At home, they drew 29,005 fans per game, placing their average attendance at 19th in MLB.

Opening Night, March 30, 2008

Pope Benedict XVI visit

Main article: Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the United States

Pope Benedict XVI traveled to Washington, D.C. in April 2008 and celebrated Mass at Nationals Park for 47,000 people on April 17. There were 200,000 requests submitted for tickets to the Mass.

2009 season
Several ballpark improvement projects were completed by the Nationals during the off-season, including:

• Expansion of the Red Porch restaurant in center field to include additional tables on both the concourse and field side. Glass windows on the concourse side were replaced with slidable garage doors, opening to a fenced outdoor patio. On the field side, the rear-most row of Center Field Lounge seats were removed, with an outdoor deck featuring tables and chairs installed in its place. New signage was added on the concourse side.
• Installation of three statues in the ballpark honoring Walter Johnson of the original Washington Senators, Frank Howard of the expansion Senators, and Josh Gibson of the Negro League Homestead Grays, which played many of its games in Washington.
• A large Washington Nationals hat was added above the entrance to the team store near the center field plaza.
• New LED message boards were added over the roof of the Center Field gate, providing information and instructions to fans entering the ballpark.
• New advertisement panels were attached to the face of the two garages in center field, with green panels being replaced by white panels. Additional panels showing the team's 2009 promotions and the current lineup were added to the western garage, facing the plaza.

Concessionaire Levy Restaurants replaced Centerplate as the provider of food and beverage at Nationals Park beginning with the 2009 season.

Before the Nationals 2009 home opener on April 13, 2009 at 3 PM, longtime Philadelphia Phillies announcer Harry Kalas was found unconscious in the Nationals Park press box at 12:20 PM. Kalas was rushed to George Washington University Hospital and pronounced dead at 1:20 PM. A moment of silence was held before the game, followed by both Nationals and Phillies fans applauding Kalas in tribute. The Phillies played with a picture of Kalas in their dugout.

On June 4, 2009, Randy Johnson became the 24th pitcher in MLB history to reach 300 wins when the San Francisco Giants beat the Nationals 5–1 at Nationals Park. The game was scheduled to be played the night before, but was delayed due to heavy rain in the DC-area. On July 4, 2009, Adam Dunn became the 123rd player to hit 300 career home runs. The home run came in the 7th inning in a 5-3 win versus the Atlanta Braves.

2010 season
During the All-Star break, the press box was repainted blue to match the color of the seats. On June 8, 2010, pitcher Stephen Strasburg, called the "most hyped and closely watched pitching prospect in the history of baseball", made his first major league appearance, starting a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates before a sold-out crowd at Nationals Park. Strasburg pitched 7 innings, giving up two runs and striking out 14 batters, a new team strikeout record.

2011 season
Minor changes prior to the start of the 2011 season include the removal of the party tent on top of the LF parking garage to improve views of the U.S. Capitol from upper sections, chrome baseball decorations adorning the outside the stadium, and various signage and concession changes including the departure of Five Guys. Nationals Park also became home of the D.C. Sports Hall of Fame. In June 2011 four new concession stands opened, owned by Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group: Blue Smoke (barbecue), Box Frites ("Belgian-style fries and dipping sauces"), El Verano Taqueria (Mexican) and Shake Shack (hamburgers, hot dogs, frozen custard). The team has also ended Friday night firework shows and fireworks after home runs and team victories.

2012 season
On May 4 for the series against Philadelphia, the Nationals renamed the park "Natitude Park". This was following their "Take Back the Park" plan, first selling advance tickets to fans in the Washington D.C. area before opening up ticket sales to other states. This marked a shift from recent years where Phillies fans had flooded the park, as the crowd was predominantly Nationals fans and the team took two of three from their division rivals. The Nationals made the playoffs for the first time since relocating to Washington in the 2012 season, with Games 3, 4, and 5 of the NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals being played in Nationals Park. Washington lost the NLDS 3 games to 2.

2013 season
Team owner Theodore N. Lerner approached D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray and other city officials in mid-July 2013 and asked if the city would pay to have a retractable roof built over Nationals Park. After seeing sketches, Gray rejected the proposal at the same meeting. No cost analyses were done prior to the meeting, although team architects speculated it would cost $300 million. City officials noted that the stadium was not designed for a roof.

2015 NHL Winter Classic
On January 1, 2015, Nationals Park hosted the 2015 NHL Winter Classic before a crowd of 42,832 spectators. The Washington Capitals defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 after scoring the go-ahead goal with less than 13 seconds remaining in regulation play, making the Capitals only the second home team to win a Winter Classic, and the first to win two Winter Classics, having won in Pittsburgh in 2011.

2015 lighting incident
On July 17, 2015, during a regular-season game between the Nationals and the Los Angeles Dodgers, a series of three power outages affected a bank of lights along the park's third base line. The first power outage, which occurred in the bottom of the 4th inning, resulted in a delay of 1 hour and 22 minutes. Play was later resumed as the pitchers retired the next 5 batters. In the middle of the 5th inning, another power outage occurred, which resulted in a 40-minute delay. The bottom of the 5th inning was later played; at the end of the inning, a third power outage occurred. Due to the power outages, the game was suspended in the top of the 6th inning, with the Nationals leading the Dodgers 3-2 at that point. The game was resumed the next afternoon, with the Nationals winning against the Dodgers, 5-3.

Seating capacity

The seating capacity for baseball has gone as followed:

• 41,888 (2008–2009)
• 41,546 (2010–2011)
• 41,487 (2012)
• 41,418 (2013)
• 41,408 (2014)
• 41,341 (2015)
• 41,313 (2016–present)

Features

The exterior of Nationals Park

See also: Washington Hall of Stars

The ballpark has 41,313 seats and features 79 suites on three levels, all around the infield. Team President Stan Kasten also said that the team might sell the naming rights to the levels of the luxury suites, which currently bear the names of presidents Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln. While the city agreed to spend up to $611 million, Kasten has stated that the principal owners, the Lerner family, spent tens of millions of dollars more on "jazzing up the park". The park has an out-of-town scoreboard, which is 102 feet (31 m) long, installed in the right field wall. The main scoreboard, at 101 feet (31 m) long and 47 feet (14 m) high, is more than five times the size of the one at RFK Stadium.

Aerial view of Nationals Park. The Nationals' previous stadium, RFK Stadium, is barely visible near the top of the picture.

On March 13, 2007, Kasten announced that not only was the Nationals new ballpark on schedule to be ready by Opening Day 2008, but that there would be a grove of cherry blossoms located just beyond the left field bleachers. Kasten stated that the cherry blossoms will provide a look that Americans associate with the nation's capital.

Other distinctive features of the ballpark are the views of the U.S. Capitol from the upper deck. Fans in the upper deck sitting down the right field line near the foul pole, during all day games, fans can get a glimpse of the Washington Monument and the National Cathedral. Several area-based food establishments have concession stands: Ben's Chili Bowl hot dogs, Hard Times chili, Dogfish Head and Flying Dog Brewery beer.

Another feature The Red Porch is a full service sit-down restaurant located in center field. It offers some amenities unusual in a ballpark such as salads, along with regular ballpark fare such as burgers and hot dogs. When the stadium first opened in 2008, the restaurant was enclosed by glass windows with a view of the field which were soon made retractable. The restaurant was eventually expanded to outside the interior, with tables being placed in three rows outside.

In 2010, the stadium added the Ring of Honor, celebrating players from the Washington Senators (Joe Cronin, Rick Ferrell, Goose Goslin, Clark Griffith, Bucky Harris, Walter Johnson, Harmon Killebrew, Heinie Manush, Sam Rice, and Early Wynn), Negro League Homestead Grays (Cool Papa Bell, Ray Brown, Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard, Cumberland Posey, and Jud Wilson), and the Nationals franchise's previous incarnation, the Montreal Expos (Gary Carter and Andre Dawson) who have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Since 2011, a submarine dive horn has blared after every Nationals home run and win—a nod to the park's location in Navy Yard.

The ballpark features a make-your-own-mascot store for the Nationals' mascot, "Screech".

Panoramic image of Nationals Park during a home game against the San Francisco Giants, May 2, 2011.

Seating

Screech, the Washington Nationals mascot before his 2009 "growth spurt".

Some fans in the upper level can see the Capitol.

The stadium has 23 seating/pricing zones. 3,300 seats are available for $10 or less. Some notable zones include:

• Seating in "The Grandstand", sections 401 and 402, in the corner of the upper deck in left field, is available at $5 per seat. Tickets go on sale 2½ hours before the first pitch on the day of the game and cannot be ordered in advance. Sales are limited to one ticket per purchase and, upon purchasing Grandstand seating, fans must immediately enter the park and make their way to their seat. These restrictions are to prevent ticket scalping, as the tickets are the cheapest in the park. The limit on quantity prevents scalpers from buying bulk amounts of the inexpensive tickets, and the requirement to immediately enter the park is designed to allow potential scalpers no opportunity to resell the one ticket they can buy.
• The Center Field Lounge (sec. 100U) and Center Field Reserved (sec. 100L) sections, located beneath the Red Porch restaurant in center field. The CF Lounge section is three rows of large red padded seats below the Red Porch tables. There is a small table next to each pair of seats. Tickets come with a $20 credit for food and beverage, which can be ordered from the seat. Tickets are $56 each. CF Reserved seats are located below the Lounge seats and are lined up in regular fashion (as opposed to in pairs with tables). The seats are also red and padded at the bottom. Food can be ordered from the seat, however, the tickets do not come with a $20 credit. Tickets are $36 each.
• The Scoreboard Pavilion is a section of seats located below the scoreboard in right field. It features several unique restaurants behind the scoreboard. The seats are generally marketed to the younger crowd and are available at $22 each.

The stadium features three levels of upscale luxury seating:

• The largest of the three, the Stars & Stripes Club is a two-story indoor lounge exclusively for fans with tickets in sections 206-221. The lounge is 33,000 square feet (3,100 m²) and features various food entities, live television broadcasts of the game on dozens of TVs, and views of the Anacostia River. Tickets have a face value of $55 each for sections 206-208 and 219-221, and $65 each for sections 209-218.
• The PNC Diamond Club, the naming rights of which were purchased by PNC Bank, is the mid-priced of the three. It is located between the two dugouts. Diamond Club ticketholders have access to the indoor Diamond Club, a restaurant with a bar and buffet. Each ticket comes with a $35 food credit, which can be used for the $35 buffet, the in-seat service, or any concessions throughout the ballpark. Those with tickets in the club also have access to the Stars & Stripes Club. Tickets have a face value of $170 each. The club underwent renovation during the winter 2009-2010 offseason. For the 2010 season, the back halves of sections 119, 120, and 126 of the Diamond Club were separated into a new seating zone, Home Plate Reserved. Tickets are $85 each. Though the seats are in the club area, tickets do not include access to the Diamond Club or the Stars & Stripes Club, and do not have the $35 credit. Ticketholders for these sections enter directly from the main concourse as opposed to through the Diamond Club.
• The presidential seats, also known as the "Cillizza Seats", are located right behind home plate and are the most expensive seats in the stadium. It also features an indoor luxurious lounge with a buffet, bar, etc. Fans with tickets in the club can watch the indoor Nationals' batting practice tunnel and can watch the post-game press conference live. Ticketholders also have access to the other two clubs. Tickets have a face value of $325 each. For the 2010 season, the back halves of Presidential Seats sections A and E were separated into a new seating zone, as was done with the Diamond Club, into the Home Plate Box section. Tickets are $170 each and do not include access to the Presidents Club, but do include access to the Diamond Club.

External links

• Stadium site on nationals.com
• Near Southeast DC Redevelopment - Nationals Park
• Nationals Park page on Ballparks.com
• Nationals Park at Stadium Journey
• Structures Demolished for Nationals Park Construction

Events and tenants
Preceded by RFK Stadium	Home of the Washington Nationals  2008 – present	Succeeded by Current
Preceded by RFK Stadium	Home of the United States Congressional Baseball Game 2008 – present	Succeeded by Current
Preceded by Michigan Stadium	Host of the NHL Winter Classic 2015	Succeeded by Gillette Stadium
Preceded by Marlins Park	Host of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game 2018	Succeeded by TBD