Finally back to .500, Nationals now want to take next step
The Nats were thrilled to get to 23-23 after a rout of the Orioles today, but they've got much loftier goals in mind the rest of the way
A .500 record is not the goal, the Nationals have made that much clear throughout the last few weeks every time they’ve found themselves on the precipice of that mark, only to drop back underneath it and start the climb all over again.
And it won’t mean anything that they got to 23-23 this afternoon if they end the 2026 season with a win total that begins with a 7 or even a 6.
But you can’t reach the ultimate goal without reaching some important intermediate goals along the way. There’s no point talking about real success in the long term if you haven’t even achieved literal mediocrity first.
So there’s nothing wrong with celebrating the Nats’ .500 record right now, a record they earned with a 13-3 trouncing of the Orioles before a sellout crowd of 40,559 on a spectacular Saturday on South Capitol Street.
“I know we’re happy that we won today. I hope everyone’s happy,” manager Blake Butera said. “It’s a cool accomplishment to get to .500 at this point in the season, playing the type of schedule we’ve played. Hopefully we can build off this.”
