2025 wasn’t exactly a banner year for the Washington Nationals, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t some fun moments. As the year comes to a close, I wanted to highlight six of the coolest things that happened on the field for the Nats this year. We discussed how important 2025 was off the field, but now we’ll look at some on-field memories.
With a record of 66-96, this season did not go according to plan. It’s never a good sign when an entire regime is fired. However, there were still some good times this year and I had a blast capturing these moments. Let’s get to the list, which is in no particular order.
The first moment to discuss actually took place on Opening Day. When MacKenzie Gore took the mound for his first career Opening Day performance, he was a man on a mission. He sliced through the Phillies lineup with ease. Of course there were shadows, but that doesn’t take away from how impressive the outing was.
Gore seemed ready to take the leap to ace status. Everything was working for him that afternoon in March. His fastball was lively, his curveball just fell off the table and he showed left-handed hitters a new slider that was nasty. Gore struck out 13, while walking no one and allowing just one hit.
That dominance continued throughout the first half of the season. Gore made his first All-Star team and posted a 3.02 ERA in the first half. It all went off the rails after the All-Star break, but Gore showed just how high his ceiling really is. Ironically, the Nats bullpen immediately blew the game when he came out, an ominous sign of things to come.
The next moment may be one you have forgotten. In April, the Nats made history by running their first triple play at Nationals Park. It came on April 25 against the Mets and was shrouded in controversy.
Former Nat Jesse Winker hit a line drive that Nathaniel Lowe would have caught. Then Lowe threw the runner to second base to hit a double and finally C.J. Abrams tagged the runner who was on second base to get the triple play. It was a strange play that was very confusing.
Upon further investigation, it did not appear that Lowe actually caught the ball, but the play stood. It was the first triple play at Nationals Park. In a season where so much went wrong for the Nats, this went so well. They ultimately won the game in walk-off fashion and the Mets missed the playoffs by one game.
Another fun moment that occurred in April was when the Nats defeated the champion Dodgers. Baseball is a sport where anything can happen, and this series proved that. The lowly Nationals won two of three against the Dodgers, who won their second straight World Series this year.
I remember going to one of the games where the Nats beat the Dodgers. James Wood hit two home runs and Brad Lord struckout Shohei Ohtani several times. Despite the cold weather it was a very nice evening.
That series, as well as a series win against the D-Backs afterwards, left fans believing that this year could be a breakthrough year for the Nats. The Nats weren’t a terrible team through their first few months. But when the month of June arrived, things really went wrong.
Speaking of June: there is one highlight from that miserable month. It’s kind of funny that one of the highlights of the Nats season was a walk off homer to snap an eleven-game losing streak, but here we are.
After losing three games in a row to the lowly Rockies, the Nats’ losing streak had reached 11 games. The atmosphere was absolutely terrible. Between all the losses and Davey Martinez’s comments about how it’s never about coaching, things have been tough.
Game four of the Rockies series was another dog fight. In the 11th inning, young Nats star James Wood had a signature moment. He hit an absolutely towering home run to center to walk away from it and snap the losing streak.
He ended his season on a sour note, but Wood’s first half was so impressive. There were so many majestic home runs and impressive moments. Hopefully he can return to that form in 2026.
The next thing I want to talk about is actually a few plays combined. Jacob Young had a flair for the dramatic in the outfield this year. He made some absolutely insane catches in 2025. Young has always been a defensive standout, but it felt like he was making more acrobatic plays this year. We wrote about all his crazy plays in September.
My favorite came late in the season against the Mets. He made a crazy catch where he made a play against the wall, but the ball popped out. However, his instincts came through. Young kicked the ball to himself in the air and made an absurd play.
Later in the game he made another crazy catch, which ultimately cost the Mets a lot of money. In a season where the Mets were one win away from a playoff spot, the Nats’ magical plays proved costly.
The final highlight is another one of those magical plays against the Mets. This came courtesy of Daylen Lile. As Nats fans know, Lile had a ridiculous month of September, winning NL Player of the Month. He was an absolute hitting machine and sprayed the ball all over the yard.
Although Lile is known for his many triples, he went one step further with this game. In extra time, Lile hit a ball that just missed the midfielder. The ball rolled away from the midfielder and Lile was on the move. At first I thought he hit a triple, but he ended up going all the way home.
This inside-the-park home run proved to be the difference, and the Nats won a dramatic game. It was the crown jewel of a month full of highlights for Daylen Lile. I can’t wait to see what the young outfielder has in store for us in 2026.
Of course, it wasn’t a great year for the Nats. That doesn’t mean there weren’t nice memories. Some of the Nats young players showed their insane potential. Hopefully 2026 is the year these guys can put it all together and show consistency.
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