Ranking The Best Opening Days In Washington Nationals History

After months of waiting, Opening Week is finally upon us, and the Nationals’ 2026 regular season campaign will finally kick off Thursday afternoon at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs. It will be the second time they’ve kicked off a season on the road against the Cubbies, with the last time coming in 2012, when Stephen Strasburg threw 7 scoreless innings and an Ian Desmond go-ahead single in the 9th lifted the Nats to a 2-1 victory. Opening Day is one of the most-watched and discussed games every year for every ballclub, and the Nationals have played some thrillers in their history.

Let’s go ahead and rank the very best Opening Days the Nats have been a part of. Honorable Mentions HM: 2005, Nationals 4 Phillies 8 Opening Day 2005 marked a historic moment in DC baseball history, the first game in Washington Nationals history and the first game for a DC ballclub in 34 years. It was a rather unremarkable game, but marked some important milestones in team history, such as Josh Willingham knocking the first hit in club history and Terrmel Sledge hitting the first home run.

HM: 2013, Nationals 2 Marlins 0 Opening Day 2013 marks what truly was a golden age of Nationals baseball at the time, as the 2 young phenoms, Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg, led the way to a 2-0 victory, with Harper hitting 2 solo home runs and Strasburg throwing 7 scoreless innings. While the 2013 season didn’t go the way the club or fans would’ve hoped it would, that reality couldn’t dampen the vibes on game 1, as the defending NL East champ Nats handled their division rival Marlins with ease in front of a sold-out home crowd. Top 5 5th: 2016, Nationals 4 Braves 3 After an extremely disappointing 2015 campaign, which led to the firing of manager Matt Williams, the 2016 club, led by new manager Dusty Baker, faced high expectations to get back to postseason play.

From game one of that year, this team showed why they were different than the year prior’s team, showing resilience in an extra innings win at Turner Field against the Braves. Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy both clubbed solo shots in the early innings, and a Murphy double down the line in the 10th inning sealed a 1-0 start to the year. 4th: 2012, Nationals 2 Cubs 1 Opening Day 2012 was a similar story to 2016, a resilient late-inning win, but this one had some extra emphasis to it, as it marked a new chapter in Nationals history as serious contenders.