 The Montreal Expos is a Major League Baseball team based in Montreal , Quebec , Canada . The team is expected to move to a new ballpark, located in Southeast D.C. near the Anacostia River and with views of the Capitol building, in the spring of 2008. The team came into existence by the name of Montreal Expos in 1969, along with the San Diego Padres; it adopted the name of Washington Nationals in 2005. The team was previously known as the Montreal Expos till the year 2004. The Expos played their final season in Montreal and ended the season in fifth place with a 67-95 record. Tony Batista was the Expos' biggest run producer in 2004 by hitting 32 home runs and driving in 110 runs.
The team played as Washington Nationals for the first time in the 2005 session. The Nationals played their first 9 games and compiled a 5-4 record including the game held on 6 th April in which Brad Wilkerson delivered a cycle in the Nationals first ever win against the Philadelphia Phillies. The team defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks with a score of 5-3 at the RFK Stadium. The Nationals made a remarkable record of 13-11 at the end of the first month. The Nationals is managed by Frank Robinson. The team played their games in the RFK Stadium that is a professional sports arena that opened in the fall of 1961. The full form of the stadium is Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium. The stadium was renamed for slain presidential candidate Robert Kennedy in 1969. The stadium now serves as the home of the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball and D.C. United of Major League Soccer. RFK Stadium has undergone a $13 million dollar renovation, and is planned to be used for a total of three years for the new baseball team, while a $440 million dollar state-of-the-art stadium is built on the north bank of the Anacostia River at South Capitol Street . Their first regular-season home game at RFK was April 14, 2005 , vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Nationals have not appeared in any championships hence they have not won any laurels. The Nationals have no member of the team representing in the Hall of Fame. They were known as the Montreal Expos and it is the first team of MLB to be outside the United States . The team players wear uniform of color white, blue, and red. The Expos have won two Division titles in 1981 and 1994. Montreal Expos made their first postseason appearance in 1981 and defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in the division playoff. The first manager of the Expos was Gene Mauch from 1969 to 1975. The team was under the manager Dick Williams when they made a 95-65 record. Frank Robinson currently, the manager of the Nationals is an eminent member included in the Hall of Fame to represent the team. Montreal Expos Hall of Famers includes Gary Carter and Tony Perez. The eminent coaches of Nationals are Don Buford, Dave Huppert, Tom McCraw, Bob Natal, Eddie Rodriguez, St. Claire and Jack Voig. |
