A year after they imploded down the stretch, the Washington Nationals put the clamps on a division title, clinching the National League East on Saturday with a 6-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates and the New York Mets‘ 10-8 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.
The win moved the Nationals to 90-64 on the year, while the Mets dropped to 82-73.
The division crown is Washington’s fourth in franchise history and third since the team moved from Montreal to the nation’s capital.
The Nationals’ official Twitter account relayed several shots of the team reveling in the glory of its accomplishment on Saturday night:
Olympic swimming sensation Katie Ledecky also chimed in after Bryce Harper was spotted wearing a swim cap with her name on it:
The Nationals were nine games up on the Mets when their chief NL East rivals made a trip to town Sept. 12 for a three-game series, and manager Dusty Baker’s club made a statement by winning two of three.
“It’s real big,” center fielder Trea Turner said, per MASNSports.com’s Mark Zuckerman. “It’s the last time we’re going to play them. If they sweep us, it could be a lot different situation. Winning this series has, I think, been very big for us.”
The Nationals, who rank fourth in the NL in runs scored, have been buoyed by a balanced attack at the plate, though Harper entered Saturday batting just .243/.376/.442 with 24 home runs and 82 RBI.
Daniel Murphy—who signed a three-year, $37.5 million deal with the Nationals over the offseason—has mashed the ball, though. With the season drawing to a close, the MVP candidate is batting .347/.391/.596 with 25 home runs, 104 RBI and an NL-best 47 doubles.
“He’s been more than I think anybody dreamed that he would be,” Baker said, per CSN Mid-Atlantic’s Daniel Shiferaw.
Catcher Wilson Ramos has also been a revelation for the Nationals. A year after he batted just .229 with 15 home runs and 68 RBI, the 29-year-old has posted a .304 average, 22 dingers and 80 RBI while serving as a steady presence behind the plate.
Washington’s pitching staff has been similarly strong, ranking second in the NL in ERA. The Nationals bullpen has also thrived, posting the second-best ERA in the NL.
Max Scherzer has been potent with a 2.82 ERA and 0.93 WHIP while leading the National League in strikeouts en route to posting an 18-7 record.
The Nationals have the depth and firepower to challenge for the pennant in October, though besting the Chicago Cubs—whom they’re 2-5 against this season—won’t be an easy task. Washington will likely face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS.
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