The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team that plays in Major League Baseball (MLB). The Nationals are a member of the East division in the National League (NL). The franchise was founded in 1969 as the Montreal Expos where they played until 2004 when they moved to Washington and became the Nationals before the 2005 season. The Nationals are the eighth MLB franchise to play in Washington, D.C., and the first since 1971 when the Washington Senators became the Texas Rangers. The Expos did not have much franchise success and won just one NL East division title in 1981. The Nationals were no better until 2012 when they won their first of four division titles. The Nationals made the playoffs as a Wild Card in 2019 and ended up winning their first World Series title that season. 

The Nationals play their home games at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. The franchise has had three Hall of Fame players – Gary Carter, Andrew Dawson, and Time Raines – but all three were inducted as Montreal Expos. The Expos also had Hall of Famers Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, and Vladimir Guerrero on their roster in the 1990s but failed to win while they were on the team. The Nationals success during the 2010s can largely be attributed to outfielder Bryce Harper, third baseman Anthony Rendon, and pitchers Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer.