Battle of the Beltways: Baltimore Orioles vs. Washington Nationals - MLB Feature
Rivalries are an integral part of baseball. It creates hype amongst fans and fuels the competitions, taking the game to the next level. It creates a lot of spice in the game, making it all the more attractive to watch.
There are many such rivalries across the Major League Baseball. New York Yankees vs. the Boston Red Sox is probably the greatest rivalry in the sport’s history. There are other rivalries as well such as the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. the San Francisco Giants,
the Philadelphia Phillies vs. the Pittsburg Pirates and so on.
A few years back, when the Montreal Expos owners decided to sell their franchise, a new rivalry started to take shape. The new owner of the Expos decided to move the franchise to Washington D.C., a move that was opposed by Peter Angelos, the Baltimore Orioles’
owner as well as many others including the fans. The reasons of this opposition were different from other quarters.
The Orioles saw a potential split in fan loyalty and fan base and thus an overall decrease in outreach which eventually leads to lower profits. Revenues were not as good even at the time when the move was announced. The fans had more sentimental reasons.
They did not want to have to choose between the two. The Orioles had been there team for decades and it was now going to be an option, no longer a necessity as a supporter for a local fan.
In the end, the Montreal Expos became the Washington Nationals and are now based in Washington D.C., calling RFK Stadium home for now. In their first year, the Nationals did not play the Orioles due to schedule being as such.
The Beltway Series started in 2006. It got a nick name ’the battle of the beltways’, called as such because of the two beltway highways entering one each into Baltimore and Washington D.C. The first Beltway Series kicked off in May of 2006. The first game
took place at the RFK Stadium with the Baltimore Orioles being the victors. It was the first time since 1971 that the two teams from the MD-VA-DC tri-state area were locking horns in the Major League. The Nationals team on last such occasion was now Texas
Rangers.
The Orioles hosted the Nationals at Camden Yards the same year in the later part of June. This year, the new rivals shared the honours with three wins each, both teams playing three games each on home turf, a practice still in place. The 2007 rivalry was
won by the Nationals, winning four of the six games the two teams played.
By 2008, the Nationals moved into their new home, the newly constructed Nationals Park. The series between the two teams by now had been becoming a fan favorite and larger numbers were seen in 2008. The series was yet again tied and there were no clear favourites
between the two.
Over the next two years, the Baltimore Orioles had an upper hand and had an overall result of 4-2 both years in the six games the teams played at the two ball parks.
The 2011 series the O’s were jolted with a crushing defeat by the Nationals who smashed them 17-5, a game that included six home-runs by the Nats. Despite this, the series was once again tied with three wins apiece.
During the 2012 series, it was the year of success for both teams. Nationals won 98 of their regular season games and the Orioles weren’t far behind with 93 victories. Both team entered the post-season as well. As for the Beltway Series, it was once again
won by the Orioles four games to two.
So far, the Orioles have had an upper hand winning 23 games and conceding 19. The series count is in the favour of the Orioles with three victories to one as the other three series were tied.
The rivalry has just started between the two teams. There have been some good performances in the mutual series and good performances in the Major League season by both teams would encourage the fans to attend their game, especially the battle of the beltways.
Some years down the road, we can expect a great rivalry between the two teams located nearby, much on the lines of the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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