Relocation to Washington DC 2005

Lore & Background

The Expos' move was not a sudden decision but the culmination of years of uncertainty. After the 1994 strike devastated attendance in Montreal, the franchise struggled to compete, leading to MLB purchasing the team in 2002 to prevent contraction. The relocation to Washington, D.C. was approved in late 2004, with the team renamed the Nationals to honor the city's baseball history, including the original Washington Senators. The move was controversial among Expos fans but celebrated in D.C., where the last Senators team had left for Texas in 1971.

In Their Own Story

The first pitch at RFK Stadium on April 14, 2005, was thrown by President George W. Bush, a symbolic gesture that underscored the team's new home in the capital. The crowd of over 45,000 roared as Livan Hernandez took the mound for the Nationals, a moment that felt like a rebirth. The air smelled of hot dogs and fresh grass, and the chants of 'Let's go Nats!' echoed through the old stadium, a sound that hadn't been heard in D.C. for decades. For fans like old-timer Joe, who remembered the Senators, it was a return to a lost tradition—a chance to pass down the love of the game to his granddaughter, who clutched a foam finger and asked, 'Grandpa, is this our team now?'

Reader's Guide

The relocation era (2004-2005) is the origin story every Nationals fan should know: a franchise rescued from the brink of extinction, reborn in a city that had been burned by baseball twice before. This period matters because it established the club's roots in Washington, D.C., a city with a rich but interrupted baseball heritage—where the ghosts of the original Senators (1901-1960) and expansion Senators (1961-1971) still lingered. The move brought stability to a franchise that had been adrift, and it set the stage for future success, including the development of a new ballpark (Nationals Park, opened 2008) and a passionate fanbase. The relocation also highlighted the business of baseball, as MLB intervened to save the franchise, and it created a unique bond between the team and the capital's political and cultural life—where lawmakers and lobbyists now debate trades alongside budgets. Without this move, the Nationals as we know them would not exist.

Did You Know?

• The Nationals' name was chosen via a fan contest, beating out other options like 'Senators' and 'Grays'.
• The team's colors—red, white, and blue—were selected to reflect the American flag and the nation's capital.
• The relocation was the first MLB franchise move since the Washington Senators became the Texas Rangers in 1972.
• The Expos' final game in Montreal was played on September 29, 2004, a 9-1 loss to the Florida Marlins.