The Morning Briefing: The Atlanta Braves beat LA with a stunning 4-run 9th to win Game 1 of the NLCS and MLB's first fans of 2020 see Los Angeles Dodgers-Atlanta Braves NLCS opener.
Juan Soto just can't stay away from the diamond and Washington Nationals’ GM Mike Rizzo and skipper Davey Martinez talking clubhouse chemistry
Good morning, Nationals Fans,
Happy Tuesday, Thanks for reading!
Here are today’s latest Washington Nationals & MLB Headlines and what else you need to know to start your day.
Washington Nationals Headlines
NJ Little League's biggest fan is ... Juan Soto?
Juan Soto just can't stay away from the diamond.
The youngest batting champion in National League history traveled to New Jersey over the weekend to watch his nephew in a United States Amateur Baseball League 10-and-under tournament at North Edison Little League. Soto was there for two games Sunday, watching his nephew's New York Bluebirds out of Manhattan take the title with a 7-2 victory over the New Jersey Cardinals from Mountainside.
Washington Nationals’ GM Mike Rizzo and skipper Davey Martinez talking clubhouse chemistry...
There has been plenty of talk during Davey Martinez’s time as the manager in Washington, D.C., about the importance of the culture and clubhouse chemistry in the nation’s capital, and the role it played in the Nationals’ success over the years, and particularly during their postseason run in 2019.
According to Martinez, who signed a long-term extension a few weeks back, it’s something he hears about from prospective players who want to join the organization and be a part of what the organization has built.
Read the full article via Federal Baseball
Washington Nationals: Gary Sanchez trade meets needs for each team
The Washington Nationals need a catcher for the 2021 season. The New York Yankees want to move on from Gary Sanchez. Let’s get these two teams together and see how we can work out a trade.
Read the full article via District on Deck
What to watch for: Nationals offseason FAQ
The Nationals enter the offseason looking to improve from a 26-34 record in 2020. They will face decisions on several key veterans in free agency, as well as how to position the team for title contention next season and beyond.
“After we do our summary of 2020, we'll find out what worked, what didn't work, what we have to improve on,” general manager Mike Rizzo said at the end of the season. “By Spring Training, we're hoping to have a roster in place that's going to compete for the National League East championship and the World Series championship."
Read the full article via MLB/Nationals
Can Scherzer regain elite form in final year of contract?
After watching sheer pitching brilliance from Scherzer since he arrived in D.C., we’ve wondered if and when the future Hall of Famer might finally start to look mortal. That transformation may well have begun this season.
Read the full article via MASN Sports Washington
Nats’ manager Davey Martinez shakes up his coaching staff!
After the Washington Nationals coaching staff’s contracts were set to expire at the end of the month, it was assumed that all coaches on Dave Martinez‘s staff would be retained after Martinez’s contract was extended.
Read the full article via Talk Nats
Nationals’ minor league pitching coach Sam Narron part of rich family tradition...
The Narron family has been in North Carolina for generations and baseball has been a large part of their story.
Read the full article via Federal Baseball
Around the Horn: News from Around the League
Braves beat LA with stunning 4-run 9th
Going all the way back to Mike Soroka suffering a season-ending injury on Aug. 3, the Braves have been leaning on Max Fried and understanding the significance of each start. Their rotation has finally gained some depth as rookies Ian Anderson and Kyle Wright have emerged over the past few weeks.
MLB's first fans of 2020 see Los Angeles Dodgers-Atlanta Braves NLCS opener
Scott McIlroy reached out with his left hand as a batting practice home run clanged off a railing and hit him in the palm, the ball popping in the air before settling back into his grip as he held a cell phone in his right hand.
Count the Texas resident and Los Angeles Dodgers fan among the first in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season to catch a pre-game souvenir _ and among the first ticket buyers to see live baseball in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series on Monday night.
Read the full article via ESPN
Should The Astros Be Allowed To Play The Victim Card?
The American League Divisional Series between Houston and Oakland took place in Dodgers Stadium, the home of the team that most around baseball feel was victimized by the 2017 sign stealing scandal that helped the Astros win the World Series. Because of that, Dodgers fans had a front row seat in watching Houston eliminate the A’s with at least one person finding it curious that the Astros are playing the victim card themselves this October in reaching the ALDS. Are the Houston Astros truly playing the victim card his month, or are they just doing what countless other players and teams have done over the years, taking on an “us against the world” approach and seeing if it pay dividends?
Read the full article via Too Athletic
Opinion: Rick Renteria's firing highlights cruelties, inequities toward MLB managers in era of the rebuild
So maybe Rick Renteria will never be known as a master tactician, a La Russian runner of bullpens, a Hall of Fame-caliber manager. That doesn’t erase the ugly lens through which baseball views him: Good enough to run a team until the team gets good. Renteria was fired Monday morning, shown the door for the second time in six years by a Chicago baseball club crawling from the depths of a miserable rebuild.
Read the full article via USA Today
Where MLB breakout postseason star Randy Arozarena came from
It was a year ago that Randy Arozarena made news for all the wrong reasons. It was Arozarena who live-streamed Cardinals manager Mike Shildt's profanity-laced postgame talk after St. Louis eliminated the Braves in the National League Division Series. It went viral, and Arozarena was ashamed.
Read the full article via ESPN
Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan dies at 77
Hall of Famer and twice World Series champion Joe Morgan, considered one of baseball’s greatest second basemen, died on Sunday at the age of 77 after battling a nerve condition, his former team, the Cincinnati Reds, announced on Monday.
